tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241238297532213032Mon, 16 Feb 2015 05:45:38 +0000training logRace ReportNorthern Colorado Trail Runs in PicturesLarimer County PeaksPre-race ThoughtsMisc/SillyFKTsHTH5MOaBChubby CheeksTowersThe Cost of RunningRound MountainShoesNon-Local Trail ReportsQuad Rock 50Training thoughtsMummy ManiaAR50Alistair RaceBeer MileNever Summer 100kmRace GoalsAlexander MtnCrosier MtnLongs PeakMilner MtnPalisadeWS100DogsGreen MtnGreyrockHardrockjavascript:void(0)Race ReportwatchesRocky Mountain Dirt Runninghttp://irunmountains.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Nick)Blogger505125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241238297532213032.post-256197702444911246Wed, 03 Dec 2014 14:27:00 +00002014-12-03T07:19:12.863-08:00Chubby CheeksChubby Cheeks 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PZm5irRV_yQ/VH8XZViyGZI/AAAAAAAAEH0/uJVJA0-M86Y/s1600/piggy.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PZm5irRV_yQ/VH8XZViyGZI/AAAAAAAAEH0/uJVJA0-M86Y/s1600/piggy.gif" height="240" width="320" /></a></div><div></div><div>The fifth running of the Chubby Cheeks 50k/marathon/JV (20 miler) is set for Saturday December 13th. We'll be sticking to the same format as always, with three routes and three separate start times, in hopes that everyone gets back to HQ sometime between 1:00 and 2:00 for brews, food and good times.&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IOc2jd1TH0k/VH8Xd59wOPI/AAAAAAAAEH8/L2N69ritzl0/s1600/chubby-cheeks-50k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IOc2jd1TH0k/VH8Xd59wOPI/AAAAAAAAEH8/L2N69ritzl0/s1600/chubby-cheeks-50k.jpg" height="320" style="cursor: move;" width="171" /></a>Start times are 7:00, 8:00 &amp; 9:00, so pick a time and a distance that is likely to get you back in good time for the after party at my house.&nbsp;</div><div></div><div>There will be no course markings this year, so you are encouraged to print out the <a href="http://goo.gl/LkWDpQ" target="_blank">50k map</a>. A detailed course description is available <a href="http://www.irunmountains.blogspot.com/2010/12/chubster.html" target="_blank">here</a>.&nbsp;Alternatively, you can hook up with a local&nbsp;who knows the course, but a map is still probably a good idea. &nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div>The 20 mile and marathon routes have shortcuts to the Arthurs trailhead where we hope to have a bit of an aid station. For those running the 20 mile route, the shortcut comes at the T-junction immediately after you enter Lory State Park (12 miles or so, I think). The marathon and 50k go left up to Arthurs Rock via the Howard trail, while the 20 mile drops right into the valley on the Mill Creek Link trail. If you want aid you'll have to hang a left at the Valley Trail and run .1 up to the Arthurs aid station, from where you'll head back to the start/finish.&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div>The marathon shortcut comes after you summit Arthurs Rock. Instead of heading out on the Westridge trail to Timber, you will simply drop directly down to the Arthurs trailhead on the Arthurs Rock trail.&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nwhAO7hth6g/VH8bhPweUII/AAAAAAAAEII/YQjqU99agN0/s1600/Chub%2Bstart.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nwhAO7hth6g/VH8bhPweUII/AAAAAAAAEII/YQjqU99agN0/s1600/Chub%2Bstart.JPG" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>As always, we'll start and end from my house on Overhill Drive, just a half mile from the Horsetooth Trailhead. Look for the banner over the driveway. For those wanting to get out and perform, the current course records are as follows (this is a self-timed run):&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div><b>JV Men: Justin Mock (3:25)</b></div><div><b>JV Women: Victoria Funk (5:16)</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Marathon Men: Nick Clark: (4:31)</b></div><div><b>Marathon Women: Darcy Africa (5:10)</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Full Chub Men: Johannes Rudolph (5:40)</b></div><div><b>Full Chub Women: Sarah Hansen (6:45)&nbsp;</b></div><div><br /></div><div>It was outrageously cold last year, but the current forecast looks pretty good, so it could be a fast one especially given the total lack of moisture in the 10-day forecast and the currently snow-free trails.</div><div><br /></div><div>Bring a good attitude, some booze and food to share, and we'll see you next weekend!</div>http://irunmountains.blogspot.com/2014/12/chubby-cheeks-2015.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nick)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241238297532213032.post-3591382710649474295Mon, 06 Oct 2014 15:08:00 +00002014-10-08T07:03:06.322-07:00Race ReportRun Rabbit Run 100<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KCjJnSMZsDA/VCs8_FrF4JI/AAAAAAAAEFc/lko7p3HNoSY/s1600/Steamboat%2BFamily%2BPic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KCjJnSMZsDA/VCs8_FrF4JI/AAAAAAAAEFc/lko7p3HNoSY/s1600/Steamboat%2BFamily%2BPic.jpg" height="317" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: <a href="http://paulnelson.smugmug.com/" target="_blank">Paul Nelson</a>.</td></tr></tbody></table>After a string of relatively successful 100 milers in the years between 2009 and 2013, I figured I'd got the distance dialed in and could pretty much show up to any race and have a good day on autopilot, but things started unravelling a bit this year, my 40th on this planet.<br /><br />Forty is a weird age. The average life expectancy in this country is less than 80 (I'm pretty sure), so &nbsp; statistically speaking you've pretty much crested the hill at 40 and physically you tend to start feeling those niggles lingering just a bit more than they did just five years ago. But at the same time most 40 somethings still feel vibrant, full of life and - at times - as giddy as a prepubescent teenager. Or at least this 40-something does.<br /><br />Through the prism of a runner's time-obsessed eyes, entering the 'master's' division presents interesting new challenges. Can I defy the law of averages? How long can I compete against kids half my age? Will I ever win another race? Will I still be running 20 years from now? Should I just focus on competing against others in my age division? Which races offer masters money? Should I use my master's standing as an excuse to just 'enjoy' running and not be so obsessed with trying to compete? Is it time to start mentoring and focusing on others with more talent, stronger drive and years of optimal performance ahead of them?<br /><br />These are just some of the questions I've had rattling around in my head this year, and I think the noise had an impact on my drive to succeed. I turned 40 almost exactly one month before Western States and then proceeded to perform terribly there (after winning my first race as a master, I might add). That was a tough pill to swallow. Maybe I <i>was</i> over the hill and maybe it <i>was</i> time to retire to pasture, a racing afterlife of comfortable and well-earned jogging all the way into my 90s.<br /><br />But I'd committed to running the Steamboat 100, put on by my good friend Fred Abramowitz, and I wasn't about to renege on that commitment. I gave myself a month to wallow in self-pity post Western States, and then went about the business of figuring out what went wrong and how I was going to fix it. After a bit of reflection, the two primary reasons I came up with for failing at Western Sates were lack of conviction and a sour gut.<br /><br />The lack of conviction manifested itself both in training and on race day. I didn't have the drive in the spring to run the miles I knew that I needed to in order to be competitive. I ran a few token 100 mile weeks, but I just didn't have the desire to really stack those weeks up back to back over the period of a couple of months. This lack of physical preparation led to a downward spiral in mental belief, to the point that I found myself on the starting line in late June not really wanting to be there. The outcome of my race was sealed long before I started puking on the way to the Auburn Lakes Trail aid station. The nausea was just a final nail in the coffin.<br /><br />But with the help of friends and family, I started digging myself out of my funk, and worked on building a mental foundation for Steamboat. The first rule I implemented was to respond positively to any questions related to the race. By telling others that I was looking forward to it, I managed to also convince myself. The second rule was to teach myself that nausea didn't have to be inevitable. Working closely with local dietician and accomplished ultrarunner Abby McQueeney Penamonte I was - for the first time - able to develop an in-race fueling strategy based on testing and fact, rather than guesswork and hope.<br /><br />The nutrition formula was pretty simple. After a half hour metabolic treadmill test conducted at 100-mile effort, I was able to ascertain what my in-race fueling needs were. Considerably less than the 200 - 300 calories per hour I'd been trying to cram down my throat in previous races, as it turns out. The results suggested that I burn fat very efficiently and as such don't need much more than 100 calories an hour to maintain respectable energy levels while performing at 100-mile effort. That's the equivalent of one gel an hour, and quite contrary to conventional ultrarunning wisdom that mandates forcing a gel down your throat - come hell or high water - every 20 minutes. I'd tried that and it didn't work.<br /><br />Not long before Steamboat, a friend sent me a link to a <a href="http://theturtlepath.blogspot.com/2014/04/nutrition-part-2-race-nutrition.html" target="_blank">blog post</a> that Pam Smith - of Western States fame - had written earlier this year. I have an immense amount of respect for Pam, but nowhere near her work ethic when it comes to figuring out - and implementing - the science behind performance. So it was with much glee that I read her article recommending a nutrition strategy based on limiting caloric intake to levels well below that held as gospel in the ultrarunning community. My plan to not start consuming until at least two hours into the race was also given the nod of approval by Pam. There was even advice on post-puke strategies, but I was committed mentally to not puking so I filed that one away in the contingency drawer.<br /><br />The other part of the puzzle was to keep effort levels firmly under control. There is a direct correlation, I have found, between effort level and your gut's ability to process fuel. I was bound and determined to keep things casual all day and all night at Steamboat. My whole family had come out for this one, including my parents all the way from England. They had last watched me do the 100 mile thing at UTMB in 2011, where I registered the only DNF of my ultrarunning career. I absolutely could not let this one spiral out of control. Discipline was required.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pFHshhputss/VCs8sYbzepI/AAAAAAAAEFU/jNgpyN9T7U8/s1600/MomNickSteamboat%2B.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pFHshhputss/VCs8sYbzepI/AAAAAAAAEFU/jNgpyN9T7U8/s1600/MomNickSteamboat%2B.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love you, Mum!</td></tr></tbody></table>So it was with much alarm that I found myself at the front of the field with good friend Zeke Tiernan as we crested the opening 3,500 foot climb of the day.<br /><br />"This feels easy right, Zeke? We're not being stupid here ... right, Zeke?"<br /><br />I'd look back a few switchbacks and see the rest of the pack, but knew that if I moved any slower I'd start tripping over rocks. The effort was fine; everyone else was just being ridiculously cagey. As we transitioned to rolling singletrack, I dropped Zeke and found myself solo at the front of the field. I didn't let it bother me though. My breathing was super controlled and the effort was way easier than it is has been at Western States and other 100 milers, so I rolled with it, popping an 80 calorie peanut butter pack exactly two hours into the run.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-a-V6KueUJr8/VCs9PJ1XA-I/AAAAAAAAEFk/njejHfBhM50/s1600/Zeke%2C%2BNick%2Bearly%2Bat%2BSteamboat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-a-V6KueUJr8/VCs9PJ1XA-I/AAAAAAAAEFk/njejHfBhM50/s1600/Zeke%2C%2BNick%2Bearly%2Bat%2BSteamboat.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"This is easy, right Zeker?"</td></tr></tbody></table>Outside of this initial peanut butter pack - taken so I wouldn't have to carry a filled second bottle up the initial climb - the plan was to subsist on starch-based carbohydrates delivered in liquid form. Pretty much mumbo jumbo to me, but it had worked to a degree in the past and I believed that it was going to work at Steamboat if controlled to 100 calories - or one scoop diluted - per hour. Simple. With the help of pre-mixed bottles in drop bags and at crew locations, I was able to transition between aid stations without having to fumble around with baggies of powder - the curse of liquid nutrition strategies.<br /><br />The seven hour mark, give or take an hour or two, has traditionally been the tipping point for my stomach in these races; the point where nausea starts kicking in and I start the long drawn-out internal monologue:<br /><br />"To puke or not to puke? That is the question."<br /><br />Prior to 2013, when the puking floodgates opened at Leadville, I had been firmly in the camp of puke avoidance at all costs, typically being able to get by on coke when things starting turing sour. However, an eruption at mile 88 on the Leadville course, some 50 meters down the road from May Queen, had put an end to all that, and I moved from a history of never having puked during a race to almost incorporating it into the game plan. I proceeded to spill my guts again at the base of the Boulevard - mile 96 at Leadville - then twice at the Wasatch 100, endlessly at UTM Fuji, and then again at Western States. I was on a four-race streak. And it sucked.<br /><br />Seven hours and 40 miles into Steamboat and the gut was still shipshape, though. I had stuck religiously to the plan, and while I had been swallowed up by a pack of seven other runners at the front of the field, I was elated to be in the race and consuming without concern. I wouldn't describe my energy levels as particularly perky - the formula needs to be tweaked - but I was running. The lack of pep was exposed on the long climb in the dark back up the Fish Creek Falls trail, where for the first time I lost contact with the front of the field and found myself running in fourth or fifth.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Z64eRfU8XI4/VCs-FSWL7pI/AAAAAAAAEFw/32fwWYgpGdQ/s1600/Fish%2BCreek%2B.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Z64eRfU8XI4/VCs-FSWL7pI/AAAAAAAAEFw/32fwWYgpGdQ/s1600/Fish%2BCreek%2B.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fish Creek on the way down and in the lead.&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table>At the top of the climb at Long Lake, I decided I needed something solid to placate my growling stomach, so I consumed a small cup of ramen, careful not to get carried away, and then proceeded to enjoy the very gradual dirt-road climb out to Summit Lake, passing fellow master Paul Terranova along the way. This left just Rob Krar, Josh Arthur and master-inspiration Jeff Browning ahead of me.<br /><br />The 4,000 foot descent to the Spring Creek Ponds aid station at mile ~70 was a long one, but uneventful and controlled. My stomach was still intact, I was consuming and I wanted to keep it that way. I allowed myself another small portion of ramen at Spring Creek before beginning the long climb back up to Summit Lake and Buff Pass. A few miles out from the return to the Dry Lake aid station (mile ~75) I begun to find myself hiking sections that I knew I should be running, so I decided that as my stomach was still feeling good I'd allow myself another bowl of ramen to supplement the liquid fuel and to see if I couldn't re-stoke the furnace.<br /><br />Unfortunately, I ate too much and on the ensuing seven miles of uphill gently graded dirt road to Buff Pass I had to drop the effort significantly and found myself walking long sections (slowly) in a bid to give my stomach the time it needed to shake the nausea. The familiar puke/no puke internal dialog kicked back into gear, but I was determined to buck the trend and make this a no-puke outing, even if it meant giving up places against the rest of the field. Finally near the top of the climb, the nausea abated and I was able to get back about the business of running and racing. Unfortunately, I had consumed nothing over the span of the last two hours, so energy levels were low.<br /><br />At the toasty Summit Lake aid station, I nibbled on a grilled cheese sandwich, pleased that this was even an option and making sure to exit the aid tent quickly enough to avoid losing the body heat that I would need to get me through the next section of rolling and high-altitude trail. The outside temperature had become legitimately cold, so I was definitely motivated to keep a warmth-generating effort going. Nonetheless, I knew that I'd probably given up any chance of catching third on the slow climb to Buff Pass.<br /><br />Unfortunately I was producing a good amount of heat while still allowing for lazy breaks of hiking on stuff that I should have been running. By mile 96 (of 107), I had given up fourth to a charging Ryan Ghelfi, who was running impressively at his first go at the distance. He left the penultimate aid station, a fourth visit to Long Lake, as I was entering, but I didn't have a whole lot of fight in me. The mission for the day had been to run my race and complete it without any massive blowups.<br /><br />I think I achieved that. And while I didn't close the final 20 miles with the kind of fight and focus I would have liked to have done, I was happy to still be nipping away at my fuel and getting the job done with over 100 miles completed. Descending the final 3,500 feet into the finish at the base of the ski hill, I was generally happy with the way the race had played out.<br /><br />I had broken the puking spell, I had remained largely positive the whole way around, and I had rekindled my belief in my ability to run 100 miles at a reasonably competitive level. Oh, and I had made a bit of cash in the process too. A good day at the office, with a nutritional foundation to build from, and a renewed - if still tempered - sense of purpose for the <a href="http://skyrun.co.za/skyrun/" target="_blank">South Africa Sky Run</a> in November and then further afield to the 2015 season.<br /><br />Thanks to everyone who believed in me this summer and especially those who helped convince me that I still have a few good races left in me, and then helped me make the practical changes needed to achieve that.http://irunmountains.blogspot.com/2014/10/run-rabbit-run-100.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nick)12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241238297532213032.post-6173641345897125546Wed, 03 Sep 2014 19:55:00 +00002014-09-03T12:55:59.519-07:00training logTwo Weeks Ending August 31<b><i>Week Ending August 24</i></b><br /><br /><b>Mon - Noon: 9.5 miles (2,500) easy</b>. A Horsetooth summit (134), then some scrambling heading north on the ridge to connect with the high point on the Westridge trail. Felt really good today.<br /><b>PM: 6 miles (500') easy</b>. Jogged out an initial three miles, then came back hard at a progression effort.<br /><br /><b>Tues - Noon: 6.5 miles (1,700') steady</b>. Horsetooth (135) at a steady 50-mile effort.<br /><b>PM: 6 miles (500') tempo</b>. On the Valley trails again from Soderberg. Easy opening mile, then progression to 5k effort. Feeling kinda spry.<br /><br /><b>Weds: 7 miles (1900') easy.</b> Horsetooth summit (136), back via Wathen.<br /><br /><b>Thurs - AM: 5 miles (1,500') easy</b>. Casual jog up to the top (137) with Lee early morning.<br /><b>PM: 8.5 miles (1,500') easy</b>. Led a <a href="http://gnarrunners.com/black-squirrel-half/" target="_blank">Black Squirrel Half Marathon</a> training run from Timber.<br /><br /><b>Fri - 12 miles (2,500') easy</b>. Horsetooth summit (138), then around on Westridge, Mill Creek, Loggers, Stout, Spring Creek. Nice and steady and really feeling pretty good.<br /><br /><b>Sat - 8 miles (2,000') easy.</b> Horsetooth summit (139), then some tooling around on the ridge rocks before heading down Spring Creek.<br /><br /><b>Sun - 18 miles (8,500') bagging</b>. <a href="http://irunmountains.blogspot.com/2014/08/never-summer-traverse-nokhu-to-baker.html" target="_blank">Never Summer Traverse</a> with Cam. Just an awesome line in some killer hills.<br /><br /><b>Total: 79.5 (23,100')</b><br /><br /><i><b>Week Ending August 31</b></i><br /><br /><b>Mon - 6.5 miles (1,700') easy</b>. Jogged a lap on Horsetooth (140).<br /><br /><b>Tues - 8 miles (1,900') steady</b>. Knew I wasn't going to make the evening's track workout, so went hard on Horsetooth (141) via Audra and then back down on Wathen.<br /><br /><b>Weds - 9.5 miles (2,000') easy</b>. Horsetooth summit (142) and down on Westridge/Spring Creek.<br /><br /><b>Thurs - AM: 10.5 miles (1,200') steady</b>. Early morning outing on Blue Sky with Lee and Slush. Came back at a tempo effort from Rim Rock junction over the last 3.5 miles.<br /><b>PM: 7 miles (1,700') moderate</b>. Had intended to fully jog Towers, but found myself warming into the run about halfway up the hill, so kept things steady from there to the top. No watch, but somewhere in the 33-34 range.<br /><br /><b>Fri - 7 miles (1,700') easy</b>. Jogged out an easy summit of Horsetooth (143).<br /><br /><b>Sat - 24 miles (6,000') at 100-mile effort</b>. Out on the local trails for a Horsetooth - Arthurs- Horsetooth (145) yo-yo by way of Audra - Westridge - Mill Creek - Howard - Lory Westridge - Arthurs Rock - Valley - Sawmill - Loggers - Herrington - Towers - Herrington - Spring Creek - Wathen - Rock - Audra - Southridge. Fun, steady and confidence-building morning. Practiced keeping right on 100 mile effort, fueling and maintaining mental focus. Felt supremely comfortable the whole way around. Really starting to get my head in the game for Steamboat.<br /><br /><b>Sun - 10 miles (2,500') easy</b>. Ran with Sarah early, nursing a slight hangover from moderate overindulgence at Alex and Nora's weeding the night before. Sweated most of it out early, then enjoyed a nice social cruise with Sarah, who I hadn't seen in a while. Always good to catch up. Horsetooth (146) - Westridge - Spring Creek.<br /><br /><b>Total: 82 miles (19,700')</b><br /><br />So, mainly some jogging around in the local hills with some fun peak bagging outings thrown in along the way. I've really just been trying to get into a rhythm of daily vertical and consistent running without worrying overly about total mileage, which is way down on my volume from years past. But that doesn't concern me.<br /><br />The major concern for Steamboat is getting the effort level correct for the full 100 miles, which in concert with some pretty significant tooling to my nutrition strategy (working closely with Abby McQueeney Penamonte over the last six weeks) should hopefully have me finishing the race on a strong note. By no means am I going to be setting the ultraruning world on fire out there, but that's not the goal. The goal is to complete the race in the fastest manner possible, which for me means slowing way the hell down over the first half and hopefully staying consistent over the back half.<br /><br />Confidence levels are getting back up there, after pretty much being ready to throw in the towel post Western States. Enjoying some taper time right now.http://irunmountains.blogspot.com/2014/09/two-weeks-ending-august-31.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nick)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241238297532213032.post-885127176301444004Wed, 27 Aug 2014 15:22:00 +00002014-08-27T10:44:27.691-07:00FKTsNever Summer 100kmNever Summer Traverse, Nokhu to BakerThe Never Summer Mountains. Ah, yes, the name alone makes you want to get out there and get stuck in. Catch sight of the magnificently jagged peaks and ridgelines that constitute the 14-mile range and the siren call gets just a little louder. Pick up a map and feast on the north-south spine that runs from Cameron Pass in the north to Baker Gulch in the south, and you're all in. At least I was.<br /><div><br /></div><div>But despite the obvious aesthetics of the line, very few others have attempted it. Indeed, I could only find interweb evidence of two full traverses, one by the legendary Colorado alpinist&nbsp;<a href="http://alpine-works.com/2013/01/life-above-treeline-an-interview-with-bill-briggs/" target="_blank">Bill Briggs</a>&nbsp;and partner <a href="http://www.dailycamera.com/ci_13330930" target="_blank">Bart Miller</a>&nbsp;in <a href="http://www.wwwright.com/climbing/speed/rmnp.htm" target="_blank">1994</a>&nbsp;(10:45), and one a little more recently by Lisa Foster (24 hours), <a href="http://www.bigearthpublishing.com/westcliffe-publishers/rocky-mountain-national-park-the-complete-hiking-guide/" target="_blank">the authority</a> on obscure (and less obscure) routes in Rocky Mountain National Park. However, for reasons inexplicable to me, both parties had chosen to forego the Nokhu Crags, the dramatic northern bookend to the range, on their ridge runs in favor of dropping east to Thunder Pass. To me, the line demands an ascent of Nokhu.<br /><br />And so it was that I found myself rudely awoken in the back of an old Subaru Legacy, with partner Cam Cross, at 2:15 on Sunday morning under the moonless shadow of the emblematic spires of the volcanic Crags. The early morning plan was simple: hoof steeply for the northeast ridge of Nokhu, ascend to the spires, then tuck in behind Cam - a former Estes area mountaineering guide - who had conveniently scouted the first four peaks of the route a few weekends prior.<br /><br />Some 2,300 feet and 80 minutes later, we found ourselves somewhat trivially on the peak. Despite the horrendously loose nature of the rock on Nokhu, there exists a largely solid route to the summit by way of a series of gullies. I would provide the beta, but to be truthful I was no more than a passenger following closely behind the beam of Cam's headlight.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sOB82E-GWvw/U_1h5t99aII/AAAAAAAAEDU/03-QLYH4Ixs/s1600/IMG_0490.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sOB82E-GWvw/U_1h5t99aII/AAAAAAAAEDU/03-QLYH4Ixs/s1600/IMG_0490.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cam Cross. It was windy out and I had a fairly serious case of goggle envy.</td></tr></tbody></table><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UY8-XHz-lBo/Udm_ORHd0oI/AAAAAAAADGM/r8PwoqFJF4c/s400/P1000328.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UY8-XHz-lBo/Udm_ORHd0oI/AAAAAAAADGM/r8PwoqFJF4c/s400/P1000328.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Crags: basically a slag heap.</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-w9502ymlRb8/U_NlFDRTqqI/AAAAAAAAEAA/dRj_3MHCMLI/s1600/Crags%2Bfrom%2BEast%2B.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-w9502ymlRb8/U_NlFDRTqqI/AAAAAAAAEAA/dRj_3MHCMLI/s1600/Crags%2Bfrom%2BEast%2B.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pWrTybmhosE/U9euer_1FMI/AAAAAAAAD5M/pqsjv5hUn7M/s1600/CragsBraddock.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pWrTybmhosE/U9euer_1FMI/AAAAAAAAD5M/pqsjv5hUn7M/s1600/CragsBraddock.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">But picturesque from certain vantage points.</td></tr></tbody></table><div></div><div>At four in the morning on a moonless night, there were no views to be had, so we quickly descended our ascent gully and contoured west and south across a series of loose and steep scree fields, negotiating around the western base of the spires until we finally found ourselves on something a little more solid under the southernmost spire of the Crags. From here, our route would head directly south by way of 10 more peaks on the knife-like ridge that defines the north-south spine of the Never Summers.</div><div><br /></div><div>Another 80 minutes later, and after more very loose ridge negotiation, we were on the summit of Static Peak, an appealing triangle of a bump on the ridge between Nokhu and (the Baron von) Richthofen, the high point of the Never Summers. Despite its prowess as the highest and perhaps most visually appealing summit in the range, Richthofen is in fact a very easy get when ascending from the north. Somewhat appropriately, I think, the sun was also making its first appearance of the day as we made our way up the Baron's north ridge, unveiling the striking beauty of our surroundings from on high. And while the winds were definitely stronger than we would have liked at a steady 20 miles per hour, we both agreed that things could have been significantly worse.<br /><br />After a brief jog west to Richthofen's sub-summit, I made the executive decision to forego the loose ridge under (what would turn out to be) Tepee Mountain, for easier grassy ledges some 100 feet below. Erroneously, we were under the assumption that the large triangular peak directly in front of us was Tepee, but alas we ducked under Tepee which in fact sits slightly off the ridge to the east, not far from Richthofen. What we thought looked like a triangular tent-like formation was in fact no more than a sub-summit of Lead Mountain despite its dramatic look.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DI-LqeRQfNE/U_1fb37Ti2I/AAAAAAAAECk/6siU4RbNj0A/s1600/IMG_0475.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DI-LqeRQfNE/U_1fb37Ti2I/AAAAAAAAECk/6siU4RbNj0A/s1600/IMG_0475.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Early rays lighting up Lead Mountain. The triangular peak in the foreground was what we had incorrectly thought was Tepee.</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MoXiGEpa5j4/U_1fez-jBNI/AAAAAAAAECs/W1ttmGYzziw/s1600/IMG_0477.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MoXiGEpa5j4/U_1fez-jBNI/AAAAAAAAECs/W1ttmGYzziw/s1600/IMG_0477.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The ridge to Lead Mountain from under Tepee.</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aqBzS0vsuNs/U_1iNy7E77I/AAAAAAAAEDc/cnFRzxW1_TU/s1600/IMG_0480.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aqBzS0vsuNs/U_1iNy7E77I/AAAAAAAAEDc/cnFRzxW1_TU/s1600/IMG_0480.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A moody Lead Mountain with the beautiful Hart Ridge behind, connecting to Mount Cirrus.&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Xa1LB4jA3LU/U_1f9V56QSI/AAAAAAAAEC0/9hzaCJxiYJU/s1600/IMG_0481.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Xa1LB4jA3LU/U_1f9V56QSI/AAAAAAAAEC0/9hzaCJxiYJU/s1600/IMG_0481.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tepee is the spire off to the right of the main ridge, under a dominant Mount Richthofen in the top right of the frame. This view is from the summit of Lead Mountain. Mahler, an outlier off the main north-south ridge connects to Richthofen to the west (left) on precariously loose rock.&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table><div>Following a fairly significant goat trail across ledges and scree we were soon back up on the ridge and tagging Lead's sub-summit before heading directly for the slightly higher Lead itself, following the very steep western summit slope on frosty rock and into heavy winds. Cam had stashed provisions here on his scout a few weeks prior and we enjoyed a nice 10-minute repose on the leeward side of the peak, camel'ing water and munching on dried apricots, now 4:45 into our morning.</div><div><br /></div><div>The 10 minutes on Lead had left a little lead in the old pins, and shortly thereafter on the heavily bouldered and steep descent to Hart Ridge, I caught a toe and supermanned shin and knee first into some very unforgiving granite clinging onto a boulder by an arm that was now out of socket at the shoulder. Ooof! The ball was easily popped back into socket, however, while the throbbing from my lower leg was reduced to dull background noise some 10 minutes later, now playing in concert with the low-grade headache that was thumping around in my skull after five hours of effort above 12,000 feet. Fun indeed.</div><div><br /></div><div>Hart Ridge is a long, sweeping and dramatic connector between Lead Mountain and Mount Cirrus - the first of the cloud peaks, which sits high above the aptly named Lake of the Clouds. We were expecting heinously loose rock on our way to Cirrus along the bumps of Hart Ridge, but were in fact pleasantly surprised by the relatively stable nature of the talus. We stayed largely on top of the ridge with a few forays to the gloriously quiet (and sunny) leeward side, as the terrain dictated. Yes, most things moved, but mainly in a rocking motion rather than a more menacing collapsing motion. And so it was that we found ourselves tagging Cirrus just 65 minutes after leaving Lead, now 5:52 into our morning and already starting to get a whiff of the barn with a majority of the tougher and looser sections of ridge behind us.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XJBt25fcB04/U_1gRXMFYFI/AAAAAAAAEC8/mMFhaua-Z3I/s1600/IMG_0484.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XJBt25fcB04/U_1gRXMFYFI/AAAAAAAAEC8/mMFhaua-Z3I/s1600/IMG_0484.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lake of the Clouds under Howard's east ridge.</td></tr></tbody></table><div>Howard was next in line and it was something of a gimme, with some tundra at the saddle that actually allowed us to open our stride for a while. From Howard, the impressive looking Cumulous loomed a mile and a half down the ridge. This would be our last long connector, but once negotiated we would be looking at a relatively benign three-peak cruise into the finish on rock that was getting progressively more predictable by the peak.<br /><br />Across the bumps that connect Howard and Cumulous we stuck pretty religiously to the ridge and nearly always found a non-technical route through. Once we hit the upslope from the low point on the ridge we started to shred on spots of tundra on the eastern side of the ridge, which was now intermixed with increasingly reliable rock. Things were starting to click nicely into gear and it was beginning to look like we'd be close to hitting our 10-hour target and 12:30 rendez-vous with Dana at the Baker/Bowen trailhead.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dHCOalR64BM/U_1gtljheCI/AAAAAAAAEDE/-miEWJdcDjg/s1600/IMG_0486.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dHCOalR64BM/U_1gtljheCI/AAAAAAAAEDE/-miEWJdcDjg/s1600/IMG_0486.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The north face of the Cumulous summit ridge.</td></tr></tbody></table><div>Cumulous done, and with three peaks remaining we were officially smelling the barn on terrain very reminiscent of the bricky, solid and fast (relatively speaking) talus of the Mummies. And so it was that we whipped through Nimbus and Stratus before grunting out the final push up Baker, the end of the line before the descent into Baker Gulch.&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tk5Y2BP7x-4/U_1hSlhwDuI/AAAAAAAAEDM/PjvM1Dn9tXs/s1600/IMG_0489.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tk5Y2BP7x-4/U_1hSlhwDuI/AAAAAAAAEDM/PjvM1Dn9tXs/s1600/IMG_0489.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nimbus, with southern Never Summer Peaks behind.&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZZPKXE7q_Oc/U_1ixrSeVVI/AAAAAAAAEDk/wVSWNtf6t8k/s1600/IMG_0491.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZZPKXE7q_Oc/U_1ixrSeVVI/AAAAAAAAEDk/wVSWNtf6t8k/s1600/IMG_0491.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stratus and Baker from Nimbus, both of which we'd tag in a little over three-quarters of an hour.</td></tr></tbody></table><div>A quick fist bump on Baker and we were off to the races, unleashing a fun 2,200 foot descent on the southwest slopes of Baker down to the Michigan Ditch and the Baker Gulch Trail for the ~3.5 mile run into the finish at the Baker/Bowen trailhead some 10 hours and two minutes after we'd started. &nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ADRvRQF2NyY/U_1jB1u3cOI/AAAAAAAAED0/QXTthaa4g3c/s1600/IMG_0499.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ADRvRQF2NyY/U_1jB1u3cOI/AAAAAAAAED0/QXTthaa4g3c/s1600/IMG_0499.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cam checks the watch as he hits Baker, our final peak on the morning, 8:56 after departing from near Cameron Pass. Stratus and Nimbus sit behind.&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div>Although we had steady winds all morning, we both agreed that we'd dodged a weather bullet. The forecast had called for rains Saturday night, which never came, and for gusts of up to 50 miles per hour on the morning. We may have seen one or two gusts up around that mark, but really the wind ended up being more of an annoyance than a hindrance.<br /><br />The Never Summers have a reputation for being inordinately loose and chossy, and indeed they are, but the reality on the ground was a lot less treacherous than we had been preparing ourselves for. The route still demands a sustained level of focus, and absolutely no technical hand hold or foot placement should be trusted without first being tested, but this is an incredible line on one of the most inspiring ridges that Rocky Mountain National Park has to offer. Get after it!<br /><br /><b><i>Stats:</i></b></div><div><br />Start: A pull-off on the Lake Agnes Road at ~10,200'</div><div>Nokhu Crags (12,485') - 1:20</div><div>Static Peak (12,580') - 1:22 (2:42)</div><div>Mount Richthofen (12,951') - 0:29 (3:11)</div><div>Lead Mountain (12,537') -1:35 (4:46)</div><div>Hart Ridge (12,500')</div><div>Mt Cirrus (12,797') -1:05 (5:52)</div><div>Howard Mountain (12,810') - 0:22 (6:14)</div><div>Mount Cumulous (12,740') -1:09 (7:24)</div><div>Mount Nimbus (12,706') - 0:45 (8:09)</div><div>Mount Stratus (12,540') - 0:23 (8:32)</div><div>Baker Mountain (12,397') - 0:24 (8:56)</div><div>Ditch (10,200') - 0:32 (9:28)</div><div>Baker/Bowen (8,900') - 0:34 (10:02) <br /><br />Total: 10:02:26<br /><br />~18 miles with ~8,500 of accumulated vertical&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div></div>http://irunmountains.blogspot.com/2014/08/never-summer-traverse-nokhu-to-baker.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nick)6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241238297532213032.post-5536289089858309753Tue, 19 Aug 2014 17:13:00 +00002014-09-03T12:16:45.491-07:00Never Summer 100kmtraining logThree Weeks Ending August 17<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><i>Week Ending August 3</i></b></div><b><i><br /></i></b><b>Mon - 6 miles easy (500'). </b>Felt a little off today, so just jogged things out on the Valley Loop to Arthurs from Soderberg.<br /><br /><b>Tues - AM: 5 miles (1,500') easy</b>. Jogged an easy lap of Horsetooth.<br /><b>PM: 6.5 miles track</b>. Workout was 1,200 open followed by 12 x 300 relay repeats w/100 jog between each interval. I came in with the intention of taking these easy, but predictably enough started getting competitive as the workout went on and the back and forth between me and Sarah, and Lee and Garcia starting playing out. Sarah would lose ground to Garcia and then I would pick it back up against a slowing Lee. Came down to the final rep, where I was able to out-lean Lee into the finish. Fun stuff, but I tweaked my knee in the process. Doh.<br /><br /><b>Weds - Off</b>. Gave my knee the day off after overextending it at the track.<br /><br /><b>Thurs - AM: 10 miles (1,400') moderate hill tempo.</b> I had wanted to get a good tempo done on Centennial Rd this morning, but I played it safe with my knee and decided to up the return tempo just moderately.<br /><b>PM - 5 miles (1,500') easy</b>. After heavy rains, the Soderberg trailhead was closed to foot traffic so we relocated the biweekly Towers Time Trial to the upper lot for a go at Horsetooth. Still concerned about my knee, I invited Alistair out to join the group to see if he could better his Horsetooth PR of 45:30. He seemed pretty motivated, so we got after it from the gun and he tore up the mountain in 39:37 for a huge six minute PR. It was super fun to watch Alistair run with a group like this. Adding to the fun, we saw a bear on the way back down, before Alistair let rip dropping me and my dodgy knee in the process.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JkQmhX6pWek/U_NhcIjCS6I/AAAAAAAAD_g/BjuPC7afFAk/s1600/Alistair%2BHorsetooth%2BPR.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JkQmhX6pWek/U_NhcIjCS6I/AAAAAAAAD_g/BjuPC7afFAk/s1600/Alistair%2BHorsetooth%2BPR.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Horsetooth TT group. PR for Alistair.&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4QHWXnpk5rw/U_NhdWL3DXI/AAAAAAAAD_o/ObiaWJs-YRA/s1600/Bear.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4QHWXnpk5rw/U_NhdWL3DXI/AAAAAAAAD_o/ObiaWJs-YRA/s1600/Bear.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bear sighting on the way back down.&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P6ZkxDk9Nng/U_Nmab9iRQI/AAAAAAAAEAo/orv1T9-Cda0/s1600/Ridge%2BTraverse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div><b>Fri - 7 miles (1,800') easy</b>. Jogged out a nice easy Horsetooth to test the knee and things felt good.<br /><br /><b>Sat - 6 miles (2,500') hiking and bagging</b>. Drove up to Cameron Pass with Abby Saturday afternoon in preparation for a tour of the <a href="http://gnarrunners.com/state-forest-100k.html" target="_blank">Never Summer route</a> on Sunday. With the late start, we kept things reasonably short and accessible. Starting at the Cameron Pass parking lot, we headed out on the Ditch Trail for just a half mile before bushwhacking steeply for Table Iron Mountain (12,060'). Breaking above the trees, the craggy and cliffy west face looked intimidating, but we were able to negotiate to the north with little difficulty. As the name suggests, the top was flat and red. From Table Iron it was a simple traverse over to Iron Mountain (12,265'), from whence we dropped back down to the saddle and then dropped back to the Ditch by way of a couple of steep, wildflower-chocked drainages. Fun route.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tv2LYB1p1iQ/U_NhsquBJ_I/AAAAAAAAD_w/RfcL7RnPUzo/s1600/Ricthofen%2BfroM%2BIron%2B.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tv2LYB1p1iQ/U_NhsquBJ_I/AAAAAAAAD_w/RfcL7RnPUzo/s1600/Ricthofen%2BfroM%2BIron%2B.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Richthofen, Static Peak and the Nokhu Crags (12,485') from Iron Mountain (12,265'), with 'The Electrode' as the high point on the ridge leading to Static between Richto and the Crags.&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WyBj4xtkR2c/U_NhtfIpgvI/AAAAAAAAD_0/MFuD8inEtCc/s1600/AbbyIronDesecnt.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WyBj4xtkR2c/U_NhtfIpgvI/AAAAAAAAD_0/MFuD8inEtCc/s1600/AbbyIronDesecnt.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Abby on the Iron Mountain descent</td></tr></tbody></table><b>Sun - 46.5 miles (10,500') long</b>. The original intention for the morning was to run the full Never Summer 100km loop, but I ended up cutting it short at 46 miles due to the route being a little more taxing than expected (and because I had a convenient bail-out option). The morning began with a beautiful early ascent of Seven Utes Mountain (11,453') from the Gould Community Center and a fantastic contour and descent into the serene and uber-picturesque Lake Agnes (10,663') at mile ~11. Pete and I have been bashing around these parts all summer and finally figured a great route into Agnes the weekend before on an old logging road. It pops out right at the cove (after some light bushwhacking), leaving a nice section of trail around the lake to get on the Ditch Trail. It was my first time on the next section up to and around the American Lakes and I have to say I was blown away at how stunning the bowl up there behind the Nokhu Crags is. This really is going to be a phenomenal race course.<br /><br />After a crewing snafu at Cameron Pass (and a 25 minute wait), I headed up North Diamond Peak (11,852' and high point on the course) at a strong push and enjoyed an almost windless ride along the carpet that is the Medicine Bow Ridge to the Montgomery Pass 4 x 4 road, enjoying more incredible views in the process. After bashing across the Yurt contour trail, I met up with Cam at Ruby Jewel Rd to knock out the stunning high alpine Hidden Valley section of the course, which at 10 slow miles is probably the crux of the route. I started bonking a bit on the descent off Kelly Lake and then really hit the wall heading up to the Clear Lake Spur, where Pete and Karla were waiting with water. Although I wanted to bail there, I forged on and ground my way up to Clear Lake (10,600') where I sat for quite some time, perched scenically under South Rawah Peak, trying to collect myself. On the descent I made the decision to bail so took the short way back to the northern trailhead meeting back up with Pete and Karla, followed two minutes later by Abby who had somehow managed to run a marathon while totally lost in the woods (long story). All in all, this was a fun morning, but man did I ever get my arse handed to me? This is a tough course. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BPsh4JRAGck/U_NlgxcClgI/AAAAAAAAEAY/E6bIh6qmZp0/s1600/Early%2BMorning%2BCrags.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BPsh4JRAGck/U_NlgxcClgI/AAAAAAAAEAY/E6bIh6qmZp0/s1600/Early%2BMorning%2BCrags.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crags early morning from the west near top of Seven Utes.&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-w9502ymlRb8/U_NlFDRTqqI/AAAAAAAAEAA/dRj_3MHCMLI/s1600/Crags%2Bfrom%2BEast%2B.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-w9502ymlRb8/U_NlFDRTqqI/AAAAAAAAEAA/dRj_3MHCMLI/s1600/Crags%2Bfrom%2BEast%2B.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crags a couple hours later from American Lakes on the east side.</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P6ZkxDk9Nng/U_Nmab9iRQI/AAAAAAAAEAo/orv1T9-Cda0/s1600/Ridge%2BTraverse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P6ZkxDk9Nng/U_Nmab9iRQI/AAAAAAAAEAo/orv1T9-Cda0/s1600/Ridge%2BTraverse.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The carpet ride on the Medicine Bow ridge. North Diamond (11,852') is the high point at the end of the ridge and the high point on the Never Summer 100km course.</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vvZNo9i8Fak/U_NlF9B7MuI/AAAAAAAAEAE/Yhu1ukS0mLQ/s1600/Kelly%2BLake.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vvZNo9i8Fak/U_NlF9B7MuI/AAAAAAAAEAE/Yhu1ukS0mLQ/s1600/Kelly%2BLake.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Overlooking Kelly Lake (10,805') in the Hidden Valley section of the course under the Medicine Bow Mountains.&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2F2.bp.blogspot.com%2F-wIz0SesKcPQ%2FU_NlGoa-V2I%2FAAAAAAAAEAQ%2FeGRygPBlRo0%2Fs1600%2FMoose.JPG&amp;container=blogger&amp;gadget=a&amp;rewriteMime=image%2F*" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wIz0SesKcPQ/U_NlGoa-V2I/AAAAAAAAEAQ/eGRygPBlRo0/s1600/Moose.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of three moose sightings on the morning. Saw a flock (?) of big horn sheep at Kelly Lake too.&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table><b>Total: 92 miles (19,700')</b><br /><b><br /></b><b><i>Week Ending August 10&nbsp;</i></b><br /><b><i><br /></i></b><b>Mon - 6 miles easy. </b>Jogged out some recovery mileage on the valley trails.<br /><br /><b>Tues - AM: 4 miles on the mill</b>. Ran for half an hour on the mill at the Parker Lifetime Fitness where Abby works to conduct some metabolic testing. Ran at 100 mile effort with a contraption strapped to my face. The results show that my body is quite fat efficient, meaning that I burn mainly fat while at 100-mile effort and my calorie intake need only be in the 100 calorie per hour zone. This means I have been consuming way too many calories in the past, which may account for my stomach issues in recent races. Anyway, Abby and I are taking the information from this test and working on a nutrition plan for Steamboat. Fingers crossed.<br /><b>PM: 6 miles track</b>. Workout was 1,200 open, the 8 x 400'. Again, tried to keep these under control to stave off any potential knee issues, but got a bit racy towards the end and re-tweeked the knee.<br /><br /><b>Weds - 7 miles (1,800') super eas</b>y. Jog/hiked a summit of Horsetooth, babying my strapped knee in the process. Felt okay.<br /><br /><b>Thurs - 5 miles (1,000') easy</b>. Drove out early to Salt Lake City to attend the Outdoor Retailer show with Altra. Got in around noon and headed out to Red Buttes for a few miles on the spiderweb out there.<br /><br /><b>Fri - AM: 6 miles (1,200') easy</b>. Jogged up to the 'living room' with Zac Marion and Zach Bitter from where we enjoyed the killer views of the Salt Lake Valley and Cottonwood Canyons.<br /><b>PM: 3 miles with 1.6 miles at 15%</b> on the treadmill over the course of 15 minutes. I never run on the treadmill, but the OR uphill challenge marked my second visit to the mill of the week. Somewhat out of shape, I was predictably worked by this exercise in pain, cutting my speed as the run progressed. Paired up with Bronco Billy, we ended up in a dead heat. Major sweat fest.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g1Z6nuXX-rA/U_Nv50pv2HI/AAAAAAAAEA4/dH_YYaX2kB8/s1600/Uphill%2BChallenge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g1Z6nuXX-rA/U_Nv50pv2HI/AAAAAAAAEA4/dH_YYaX2kB8/s1600/Uphill%2BChallenge.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Warming up with Jeff Browning before setting it at 15%.</td></tr></tbody></table><b>Sat - 15 miles (2,500') easy</b>. Super early start from the Upper Big Water trailhead with a bunch of Altra athletes for a super-fun tour of the Lake Desolation area of the Wasatch 100 course. It was so cool to see this area at a different time of day and while not completely exhausted. The Wasatch are just burly, burly mountains and I love getting up in 'em. Got some great beta from Craig Lloyd on some of the link-up opportunities in and around the area: one day.<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="215" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/k2HLokEW9ng" width="400"></iframe><br />Credit: trailandultrarunning.com<br /><br /><b>Sun - 21 miles (5,000') easy</b>. Back home and strapped for time, I ran locally at Horsetooth and Lory, completing the classic double summit of Horsetooth and Arthurs. Been a while since I ran long on the home trails, so I was extra appreciative of the fantastic access that I have and which I typically take so much for granted.<br /><br /><b>Total: 73 miles (13,000')&nbsp;</b><br /><b><i><br /></i></b><b><i>Week Ending August 17</i></b><br /><b><i><br /></i></b><b>Mon - 7 miles (1,800') easy. </b>Jogged out a nice easy summit of Horsetooth with John and Adam from Minnesota, who were on their way to Leadville to crew and pace my good friend Bob Gerenz who was getting ready to take his third crack at the classic 100 miler. About an hour PR for Bob as it turned out.<br /><br /><b>Tues - 12 miles (4,000') easy</b>. A nice light day at Rocky Mountain National Park with my good friends Takashi and Masa from Japan, both of whom helped crew me at Mout Fuji earlier in the year. Did the classic Flattop, Hallet, Otis and Andrews Glacier loop, while photo-shooting some stuff for a new apparel brand - Teton Bros - that Takashi has launched with a couple of partners in Japan. Tacked on East Glacier Knob at the end. Beautiful weather and just a fun, fun loop.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BpDV9f3j-1w/U_N1vfwX3EI/AAAAAAAAEBQ/4bYJc3v_9eU/s1600/DSC_0266.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BpDV9f3j-1w/U_N1vfwX3EI/AAAAAAAAEBQ/4bYJc3v_9eU/s1600/DSC_0266.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cruising around the Andrew's Galcier tarn.&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ggGum-TwfpM/U_N1z8PFx7I/AAAAAAAAEBY/cPTTZof50Tc/s1600/DSC_0250.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ggGum-TwfpM/U_N1z8PFx7I/AAAAAAAAEBY/cPTTZof50Tc/s1600/DSC_0250.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Glissade!</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-grqSP3OdKyo/U_N16MNSLYI/AAAAAAAAEBg/Spft7Ge-89M/s1600/DSC_0179.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-grqSP3OdKyo/U_N16MNSLYI/AAAAAAAAEBg/Spft7Ge-89M/s1600/DSC_0179.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The new Lone Peak 2.0s are pretty sweet</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZosYqsFN84Y/U_N2ZsYuC9I/AAAAAAAAEBo/Mo2kSzFsjhA/s1600/DSC_0208.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZosYqsFN84Y/U_N2ZsYuC9I/AAAAAAAAEBo/Mo2kSzFsjhA/s1600/DSC_0208.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scrambling up Otis</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UIglYYiSlN0/U_N2iXshlAI/AAAAAAAAEBw/v-TFn4aUyyM/s1600/DSC_0232.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UIglYYiSlN0/U_N2iXshlAI/AAAAAAAAEBw/v-TFn4aUyyM/s1600/DSC_0232.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and Takashi heading down Otis on our way to Andrews Galcier.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b>PM: 3 miles at the track</b>. This was an emotional evening at the track, as we were there primarily to dedicate a beautiful bench to one of my biggest running inspirations, Jane Welzel. Workout was: 1,000 open, followed by a light 8 x 200, with runners sharpening for the Mountain Avenue Mile on Thursday. Took things nice and easy.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-E9wYVh0MPek/U_N1IMqNSaI/AAAAAAAAEBA/k_RQAebFCyQ/s1600/Nick%2Band%2BJane.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-E9wYVh0MPek/U_N1IMqNSaI/AAAAAAAAEBA/k_RQAebFCyQ/s1600/Nick%2Band%2BJane.JPG" height="238" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the Quada, Quada bench with the incomparable Jane Welzel. &nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table><b>Weds - 7 miles (1,800') easy</b>. Casual jaunt up the Tooth (133).<br /><br /><b>Thurs - 8 miles easy and hard</b>. Jogged out a few miles on the Blue Sky trail on my way into town, then ran a couple of laps on Mountain Avenue for the Mountain Avenue Mile. First up was the kids' race, where I paced Alistair to a 7:09 finish, then it was time for Beauty and the Beast (old farts) where I got a read on just how unfit I am currently, not even able to breach 5 minutes (5:07 - 73, 78, 78, 78); Oovay.<br /><br /><b>Friday - 5 miles (2,000') hike</b>. Up in Leadville to pace a couple people the next day, I hooked up with Abby to go bag Sheridan (13,748') before heading back into town to discuss pacing/crewing plans with Tony Stafford and then Mike Aish.<br /><br /><b>Saturday - 38 miles (~6,000') pacing at Leadville</b>. Picked up Mike at Winfield and was pleasantly surprised at how well he ran the contour trail over to the base of Hope Pass. The climb up Hope was pretty good, although Mike started slowing significantly towards the top, and then markedly on the descent. He was complaining of sore knees and was moving really slow. Rob Krar went through a quarter of the way down and then Ian passed on the meadows into Twin Lakes - a 20 minute lead evaporated. I really thought Mike was done and buried, but after a quick shoe and sock change he was out of there. I dilly dallied getting stuff I needed and it took me a half mile to catch back up to Mike who, to my surprise, was marching up the hill to the Elbert TH with conviction. Once we hit the high point at the Elbert trailhead, Mike really started building a head of steam and by the forest roads he was really rolling to the point that I was now concerned he was moving too fast. I kept my mouth shut and we were soon passing a surprised Ian, putting mileage on him very quickly. Mike would stay on the gas until near the new field section into Outward Bound, where he suddenly pronounced a need to walk. Ughh, followed shortly thereafter by a gut emptying session in the meadow. I left him at Outward Bound thinking he was in trouble, but to his immense credit he rallied to the finish knocking out a hugely impressive 1:49 from May Queen to the finish for second overall, and easily the fastest closing split ever recorded.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-x2TQsqM3POw/U_OEwuAOM_I/AAAAAAAAECE/1XAYe9uuUA4/s1600/Mike%2Bon%2BHope.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-x2TQsqM3POw/U_OEwuAOM_I/AAAAAAAAECE/1XAYe9uuUA4/s1600/Mike%2Bon%2BHope.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Breaking above the trees on Hope with Missouri Mountain behind.</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_e8aiMcc8xQ/U_OEyRnJ6LI/AAAAAAAAECM/NDB7Sz7rIfk/s1600/NickandMikeLeadville2014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_e8aiMcc8xQ/U_OEyRnJ6LI/AAAAAAAAECM/NDB7Sz7rIfk/s1600/NickandMikeLeadville2014.jpg" height="320" width="178" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rolling with less than 30 miles to go.&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table>Part two of my pacing gig came around four or five hours later. Tony was in a bit of trouble when I picked him up at Outward Bound as he just wasn't able to get calories in. The march up Powerline was slow, but we got there eventually. I ended up banging my toe pretty good on the Colorado Trail section so had to pull the plug at May Queen handing Tony off to Jim for the trudge through the night. Despite his troubles, and to his immense credit, Tony still finished in a respectable sub 26 hours on his first go at the distance. He'll be back to get that big buckle next year.<br /><br />On a side note, I have nothing but positive things to say about the race management this year. Clearly, those involved listened to the bitching from last year and got it spot on in 2014. Very well done!<br /><br /><b>Sunday - Off</b>. after 45 minutes of sleep I headed home early enough to beat the traffic. I wanted to get out and hike with the kids, but Alistair nixed all and any hiking plans so we went into town and got ice cream instead.<br /><br /><b>Total: 80 miles (15,600')&nbsp;</b><br /><br />It's been a very busy August, so I'm getting the mileage in where and when I can for Steamboat. I feel like I have a good nutrition plan figured out with Abby for the race, so I am hopeful that with an agreeable stomach I can more than make up for my current lack of fitness and register a decent finish. Time will tell on that.http://irunmountains.blogspot.com/2014/08/three-weeks-ending-august-17.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nick)6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241238297532213032.post-1483133263858539579Mon, 11 Aug 2014 14:11:00 +00002014-08-11T07:11:56.920-07:00FKTsLongs PeakLongs Peak Radical Slam<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yLb2XQmrYA8/U90XfVyQj5I/AAAAAAAAD-Q/hKw0AEe1Fcw/s1600/DSC00310.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yLb2XQmrYA8/U90XfVyQj5I/AAAAAAAAD-Q/hKw0AEe1Fcw/s1600/DSC00310.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Longs, the Palisades and Meeker from Pagoda</td></tr></tbody></table>For those living under the shadow of Colorado's northern Front Range, there is one undisputed monarch that rises above them all. Sitting proudly at the center of the action in Rocky Mountain National Park, Longs Peak is visible from most towns in the northern foothills corridor, and from virtually everywhere on the immediate plains to the east.<br /><br />To the climber, the mountain offers a range of challenges of which few other peaks in the region can boast. Indeed there are over 100 established routes up the mountain. For the casual hiker, the mountain is a huge undertaking, taking an average of 12 hours car to car via the standard Keyhole route (used by probably 95 percent of those who summit every summer). For the more seasoned, there are enough non-technical scrambling routes to keep you on new terrain all summer long, and for the technically inclined the huge and imposing east face is legendary.<br /><br />And for the guy or gal who likes to start a watch at the bottom of a mountain, get up and down as quickly as possible, before getting on with the rest of their day, then the mountain offers that challenge too. Andy Anderson's sub-two-hour best (<a href="http://www.logicoflongdistance.com/2012/08/push-tempo-another-longs-peak-fkt.html" target="_blank">1:56:46</a>) is quite remarkable and requires the kind of intimate knowledge that one might expect from an RMNP climbing ranger; but even for those less versed in the intricacies of the mountain, a good degree of mountain-running fitness can have you up and down the peak quite comfortably in the four-to-five-hour range, closer to three at a good push.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ifVyfa-ZC8c/U90XrxogrFI/AAAAAAAAD-o/JX9z5HCWaU0/s1600/DSC00314.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ifVyfa-ZC8c/U90XrxogrFI/AAAAAAAAD-o/JX9z5HCWaU0/s1600/DSC00314.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The East Face.</td></tr></tbody></table>Then of course, there are the link-up opportunities that exist on and around the mountain, of which there is a reasonably long tradition. And it was in this spirit that I found myself at the East Longs trailhead at the crack of dawn on a recent Saturday morning with my neighbor and friend Elijah Flenner and his CSU colleague Jamie Nielson; both strong and experienced technical climbers.<br /><br />Elijah had floated the idea a couple days previously, stating a desire to complete the Longs Grand Slam in an efficient, yet non-time-obsessed manner. With the weekend still reasonably open, I was quick to respond in the affirmative, and then after a quick perusal of the intertubes I also suggested that if we were going to go out and do this, we might as well up the ante by tacking on Battle Mountain and Estes Cone, thereby completing the so-called Radical Slam: Mount Meeker, Longs Peak, Pagoda Mountain, Storm Peak, Mount Lady Washington, Battle Mountain and Estes Cone. Although I'm sure it's been done faster, Eric Lee's&nbsp;<a href="http://www.ericjlee.com/Trip%20Reports/Radical%20Slam%20TR%202009.htm" target="_blank">9:18 from 2009</a>&nbsp;appeared to be the fastest publicly recorded effort. Somewhat coincidentally I had been on the mountain that day and we had crossed paths right under the Keyhole; Eric on his way to Storm and me on my way to the summit.<br /><br />Eric notes in his brief report that he essentially hiked the whole route and that he considered his time to be relatively 'soft'. Armed with that knowledge, I assumed a simple jog up to the start of the Loft and a strong hike the rest of the way would put us comfortably in the 7 to 8 hour range for the loop. As it turned out, however, our pace up to Chasm would be more strong hike than jog, as we would end up waiting for Jamie - more climber than runner - at points along the way. Nonetheless, we made good, steady progress up to Chasm and then up the scree and slabs of the Loft to the Meeker/Longs saddle. From there it was a quick and easy tag of Meeker, before descending back to the saddle for the traverse around to Kelplinger's Couloir and onto the Homestretch by way of Clark's Arrow.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R7uKb4n87HA/U90XhRb804I/AAAAAAAAD-Y/vRH0KFJYguk/s1600/DSC00308.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R7uKb4n87HA/U90XhRb804I/AAAAAAAAD-Y/vRH0KFJYguk/s1600/DSC00308.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The elusive Clark's Arrow.</td></tr></tbody></table>Elijah and I enjoyed the scene on top of Longs for 15-20 minutes as we waited for Jamie to summit, then quickly set off in the direction of Pagoda once the three of us were back together. The route to Pagoda from Longs descends the famed - and often hilarious - Homestretch and then drops off the main Longs route just before the Narrows section. To get to the saddle between the two mountains at the Keyboard of the Winds, there is a small cliff band to negotiate and I'm pretty sure we negotiated it in about as inefficient a manner as possible, choosing a small, wet and moderately technical gully to the left rather than heading down the easy ramps to the right.<br /><br />Pagoda itself is a big ole' mess of choss, but a simple walk-up nonetheless. Again, Elijah and I waited a good 15 minutes on top for a rapidly fading Jamie, and then the three of us took another five minutes to enjoy the huge 360 degree views of Longs, Wild Basin and Glacier Gorge from Pagoda. There are three or four spires that make up the so-called Keyboard of the Winds between Pagoda and Longs, and from the Pagoda summit it was a little unclear which ones would be the best to drop between in order to contour around and get back on the Ledges section of the standard Longs route at the base of the Trough. Predictably enough, we chose the wrong gully, lengthening our vertical accumulation for the day by a few hundred feet. For anybody reading this and looking for route info, the most expedient line is to use the gully between the two furthest spires as you look at them from Pagoda.<br /><br />Despite the poor route choice, we were soon traversing our way over to rejoin the bullseyes of the main route, this time on the Ledges section from the base of the Trough. Again, we waited a good 20 minutes for Jamie, now in full-on bonk mode. After a brief discussion Jamie urged us to continue on, while he made his way down via the standard route.<br /><br />I had it my head at this point that Eric's time was 8:18, not the actual 9:18 he had recorded, and a check of the watch showed that we were now 5:45 into our morning, so with four peaks left to tag and 2.5 hours to do it, we thought it unlikely that we'd duck under Eric's time. Not one to give up on a challenge though, I set a target of being on top of Mount Lady Washington, by way of the Keyhole and Storm Peak, within 45 minutes. We were on top of Storm exactly 20 minutes later, made quick work of the Boulder Field and hoofed hard on MLW, topping out 26 minutes after leaving Storm, 46 minutes after leaving the base of the Trough.<br /><br />The descent off MLW was tedious, the rock hopping now officially getting old, but our line was good and we hit the trail right at Granite Pass. For the two minutes that we were on trail, I managed to take my only spill of the day, before we were once again headed cross country for the nondescript summit of Battle Mountain. From the bump on the end of the Battle Mountain ridge, we had a good sight line of the bushwhack down to the Estes Cone saddle, and with 7:08 on the clock we dropped in with the sounds of thunder now echoing overhead. As bushwhacks go, this one was mercifully forgiving, with few downed trees to contend with through the reasonably sparse forest.<br /><br />We made the Battle/Longs saddle in reasonably short order and were soon forging our way up Estes Cone, the final peak of the morning with rain jackets on while being pelted with hail. We approached the rocky, just-above-timberline pinnacle of the mountain somewhat nervously, thunder and lightening still rocking the general vicinity. With 7:55 now on the watch, and with four miles left to cover, albeit on trail, it was obvious that we weren't going to better our 8:18 target time, so we casually jogged out the final trail miles, getting back to the trailhead 8:32:23 after we had left.<br /><br />The Radical Slam route was first outlined by Gerry Roach in his guide to Colorado's 14,000 foot peaks, and his description reportedly includes a trailhead 50 push-up finale. Playing it by the book, Elijah got his upper body workout in, while I sat on a bench and laughed at him - not in the slightest bit interested, or perhaps able, of making a spectacle of myself at the crowded trailhead.<br /><br />It wasn't until the next day, when I re-read Eric's report that I realized that I'd had the wrong time in my head all day, so there you go a new interweb FKT. This includes probably an hour and a half of non-moving time and a reasonably mellow effort for much of the morning. I'm pretty sure a motivated, capable and fit individual could take this down toward six hours quite easily, but for now the placeholder is 8:32.http://irunmountains.blogspot.com/2014/08/longs-peak-radical-slam.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nick)9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241238297532213032.post-4268833074087359680Tue, 29 Jul 2014 15:11:00 +00002014-07-30T11:54:51.629-07:00training logFive Weeks Ending July 26<b><i>Week Ending June 29 (Week of Western States)&nbsp;</i></b><br /><br />This week was mainly jogging, with one easy summit of Horsetooth, a lap in the Leppy Hills outside the Nevada-Utah border casino town of West Wendover, and a couple of trail jogs close to home, before the <a href="http://irunmountains.blogspot.com/2014/07/utmf-western-states-100.html">Western States implosion</a> on the weekend.<br /><br /><b>Total: 117 miles (19,000')</b><br /><br />-------------------------------------<br /><br /><b><i>Week Ending July 6</i></b><br /><b><br /></b><b>Mon - Thur</b>: Off<br /><br /><b>Fri - 4 miles (1,200') hike</b>. North Diamond Peak with the kids.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ff7wJzPCQME/U9eu12bK8TI/AAAAAAAAD5o/UKjw9alZZ3g/s1600/photo+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ff7wJzPCQME/U9eu12bK8TI/AAAAAAAAD5o/UKjw9alZZ3g/s1600/photo+1.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We were hailed and rained on for an hour or so while trying to cook at the campsite, and then we were rewarded.&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0XLKsegxVFA/U9eud6ETrlI/AAAAAAAAD5I/n4R-r8P5E1g/s1600/AliCreek.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0XLKsegxVFA/U9eud6ETrlI/AAAAAAAAD5I/n4R-r8P5E1g/s1600/AliCreek.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alistair posing at a small creek confluence on the way up to North Diamond.</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QCKqBvVCPYQ/U9eufWxDGTI/AAAAAAAAD5Y/7NHH7Sm_pws/s1600/MedBowNevSum.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QCKqBvVCPYQ/U9eufWxDGTI/AAAAAAAAD5Y/7NHH7Sm_pws/s1600/MedBowNevSum.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">North Diamond with Never Summers behind.</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oY3D-HfFJ9E/U9eu5grwGKI/AAAAAAAAD6I/7j_rfyDXoP4/s1600/photo+5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oY3D-HfFJ9E/U9eu5grwGKI/AAAAAAAAD6I/7j_rfyDXoP4/s1600/photo+5.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Summit (11,852'). Northern Never Summers beyond Cameron Pass.&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5rPfUMd3EfE/U9evIo1cwpI/AAAAAAAAD6Y/U9OZFDrhKxo/s1600/photo+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5rPfUMd3EfE/U9evIo1cwpI/AAAAAAAAD6Y/U9OZFDrhKxo/s1600/photo+2.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Followed the drainage back to Cameron Pass.&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table><b>Sat - 3 miles (500') hike</b>. Lake Agnes with the kids.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8qCGvP6KycA/U9eplZXb91I/AAAAAAAAD4U/tptd7swv7mI/s1600/DSC00289.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8qCGvP6KycA/U9eplZXb91I/AAAAAAAAD4U/tptd7swv7mI/s1600/DSC00289.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A gentle hike on the Lake Agnes Trail&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YDy6pgoxr7k/U9epuO7gvLI/AAAAAAAAD4c/hGq2OwWOPQY/s1600/DSC00292.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YDy6pgoxr7k/U9epuO7gvLI/AAAAAAAAD4c/hGq2OwWOPQY/s1600/DSC00292.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3XBOSi6m97k/U9ep2TVwXSI/AAAAAAAAD4k/kuBDsjZtmcs/s1600/DSC00302.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3XBOSi6m97k/U9ep2TVwXSI/AAAAAAAAD4k/kuBDsjZtmcs/s1600/DSC00302.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--SZ2ikhFeOA/U9ep7V74SQI/AAAAAAAAD4s/9x8XT5Is_R0/s1600/DSC00307.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--SZ2ikhFeOA/U9ep7V74SQI/AAAAAAAAD4s/9x8XT5Is_R0/s1600/DSC00307.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lake Fun.&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table><b>Sun - 5 miles (1,700') hike</b>. Met Abby at the Conocco on Hwy 34 and headed out to the flood-ravaged town of Glen Haven on Devil's Gulch road to set about bagging West Crosier (9,020'), a Larimer ranked peak. Hiked the main trail from Glen Haven to Piper Meadows then cut off trail through the meadow for the W.Crosier summit. Missed the summit a bit to the north, so followed the ridge south to gain the true summit. Not surprisingly, the summit register contained familiar <a href="http://www.listsofjohn.com/" target="_blank">Lists of John</a> names and not many others. Really no reason to visit this peak other than to tick it off the list. The views of the Estes Valley and the Continental Divide from the much-more-visited Crosier proper are much better, but that said the views of Crosier from West Crosier were unique, I guess. It was an easy schwack back to the meadow and trail. Fun morning and first LoJ nonsense peak in quite some time. <br /><b><br /></b><b>Total: 12 miles (3,400')</b><br /><br />---------------------------------------<br /><br /><b><i>Week Ending July 13</i></b><br /><br /><b>Mon - Thurs</b>: Off<br /><br /><b>Fri - 5 miles (1,500') hike</b>. Horsetooth summit.<br /><br /><b>Sat -&nbsp;3.5 mile (1,000') hike</b>. Arthurs Rock with the kids.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lQi2vO7bP4o/U9eu274ExWI/AAAAAAAAD5w/69JMohAbbFM/s1600/photo+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lQi2vO7bP4o/U9eu274ExWI/AAAAAAAAD5w/69JMohAbbFM/s1600/photo+2.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Top Arthurs. Seriously, we had fun.&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table><b>Sun - Off</b><br /><br /><b>Total: 8.5 miles (2,500')&nbsp;</b><br /><br />--------------------------------------<br /><br /><b><i>Week Ending July 20</i></b><br /><b><i><br /></i></b><b>Mon - Wed: </b>In NYC for work. Brought no running gear.<b>&nbsp;</b><br /><b><br /></b><b>Thurs - AM: 8 miles (1,200') easy. </b>Trail jog with Lee and Marie on Valley - Sawmill - Carey - Towers, from Bluesky.<br /><b>PM: 9 miles (2,000') hill tempo</b>. Towers in 33 mins. Back at it. Man, I'm out of shape. Great turnout, including local reporter Stephen Meyers. <a href="http://www.coloradoan.com/story/sports/running/2014/07/20/always-three-hills-towers-road-run/12906677/">A Towers article in the Coloradoan</a>.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-w6ydLKtbuFY/U9eugSPd03I/AAAAAAAAD5g/9pRd4zTCu4o/s1600/TowersRunenrs.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-w6ydLKtbuFY/U9eugSPd03I/AAAAAAAAD5g/9pRd4zTCu4o/s1600/TowersRunenrs.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sweaty lens.</td></tr></tbody></table><b>Fri - 13 miles (3,200') easy</b>. First section of the Never Summer 100km course with Mike H, including a summit of Seven Utes (11,453') and a visit to Lake Agnes, finishing up at Cameron Pass via the Ditch trail.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pWrTybmhosE/U9euer_1FMI/AAAAAAAAD5M/pqsjv5hUn7M/s1600/CragsBraddock.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pWrTybmhosE/U9euer_1FMI/AAAAAAAAD5M/pqsjv5hUn7M/s1600/CragsBraddock.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Approaching the summit of Seven Utes, the Nokhu Crags appear over the Shoulder of Braddock. Silver Creek Trail runs the verdant hillside, before dropping into Lake Agnes: miles 7 - 11 of the Never Summer 100km course.</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-C8Bv3GbqVW8/U9eu38-vG2I/AAAAAAAAD54/DTvIaq3_Yy0/s1600/photo+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-C8Bv3GbqVW8/U9eu38-vG2I/AAAAAAAAD54/DTvIaq3_Yy0/s1600/photo+3.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mike heading north on the Silver Creek Trail, taking in the Medicine Bows to the north.&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FaUb7HPhdts/U9evHoY0xlI/AAAAAAAAD6Q/DS89geoVRM8/s1600/photo+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FaUb7HPhdts/U9evHoY0xlI/AAAAAAAAD6Q/DS89geoVRM8/s1600/photo+1.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mike in Silhouette</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eNiUzNfbn90/U9eu4tYbfVI/AAAAAAAAD58/AoUOKQ_0whA/s1600/photo+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eNiUzNfbn90/U9eu4tYbfVI/AAAAAAAAD58/AoUOKQ_0whA/s1600/photo+4.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Richthofen and Static from Silver Creek.</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1usADQMbEB4/U9ezrioEuQI/AAAAAAAAD7I/0NmImRJtvP4/s1600/Michigan+Lakes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1usADQMbEB4/U9ezrioEuQI/AAAAAAAAD7I/0NmImRJtvP4/s1600/Michigan+Lakes.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Other side of the Crags below Michigan Lakes. Photo: Pete Stevenson.&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table><b>Sat - 22 miles (5,600') easy</b>. Starting at Cameron, where we left off the day before, Mike and I met up with Chad and Cam to take on the next section of the course, beginning with a hoof up North Diamond Peak (11,852') - the high point on the course - followed by a couple of gorgeous miles cruising the carpeted ridge to the descent on the Montgomery Pass Rd. Mike and I continued on together from there, whacking our way across the southern Yurt Trail, before hoofing up Ruby Jewel to the beautiful alpine setting in Hidden Valley where we enjoyed the big mountain views surrounding Kelly Lake (10,805'). Short on water and calories, we turned back returning to the campsite via Ruby Jewel and Lumberjack. Great mileage, but I was definitely feeling this one as my first proper long run back from Western States. <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yVZxVkqg338/U9ezgNA1loI/AAAAAAAAD6s/vJN7m2bX7Kk/s1600/DiamondSummit.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yVZxVkqg338/U9ezgNA1loI/AAAAAAAAD6s/vJN7m2bX7Kk/s1600/DiamondSummit.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Top Diamond with Chad and Cam. Photo: Hinterberg</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-stOTv9Rkd58/U9ez0jNmb7I/AAAAAAAAD7c/X9X6ZB5080s/s1600/Ridge+Traverse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-stOTv9Rkd58/U9ez0jNmb7I/AAAAAAAAD7c/X9X6ZB5080s/s1600/Ridge+Traverse.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking back at the Medicine Bow Traverse, before dropping off to the west. Photo: Hinterberg.&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LVSeEJuuhcA/U9ezePjv39I/AAAAAAAAD6k/eg4hJJIDwAM/s1600/ASpenMike.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LVSeEJuuhcA/U9ezePjv39I/AAAAAAAAD6k/eg4hJJIDwAM/s1600/ASpenMike.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hinterberg selfie on the Yurt trail traverse.&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hRfXRgj7ot4/U9ezh9S0vPI/AAAAAAAAD60/t_IWDtkMG_I/s1600/Kelly+Lake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hRfXRgj7ot4/U9ezh9S0vPI/AAAAAAAAD60/t_IWDtkMG_I/s1600/Kelly+Lake.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kelly Lake in Hidden Valley.</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-onHacfjo0so/U9ezkzBd5wI/AAAAAAAAD68/wFDb6YKBp5E/s1600/Karen+at+Kelly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-onHacfjo0so/U9ezkzBd5wI/AAAAAAAAD68/wFDb6YKBp5E/s1600/Karen+at+Kelly.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Karen Smidt cruising above Kelly lake. Photo: Marie-Helene Faurie.&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ReBQ5hA63R4/U9ezv6GwIaI/AAAAAAAAD7U/ueDNVs1FwYE/s1600/Moose.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ReBQ5hA63R4/U9ezv6GwIaI/AAAAAAAAD7U/ueDNVs1FwYE/s1600/Moose.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moose everywhere in State Forest. Photo: Pete Stevenson.</td></tr></tbody></table><b>Sun - 6.5 miles (1,000') easy</b>. Jogged the last few miles of the course with Pete and Cam from the Bockman campground to Ranger Lakes via the Gould Mountain saddle. This capped a great weekend camping with family and friends in State Forest State Park previewing the Never Summer 100km course.<br /><br /><b>Total: 58.5 miles (13,000')&nbsp;</b><br /><b><i><br /></i></b>---------------------------------------<br /><b><i><br /></i></b><i><b>Week Ending July 27&nbsp;&nbsp;</b></i><br /><br /><b>Mon - 10 miles (2,500') easy</b>. Slogged on Horsetooth - Westridge - Spring Creek. My legs were so dead on this run I almost bagged it after 10 minutes. Forged on and finally enjoyed a fluid descent of Spring Creek some six miles in.<br /><br /><b>Tues - AM: 7 miles (1,600') easy</b>. Horsetooth summit. Legs were much more responsive today.<br /><b>PM: 5.5 miles progression</b>. Skipped the track in favor of a short progression run on the Valley trails. Oi, need to work on fitness.<br /><br /><b>Weds - 7 miles (1,600') easy</b>. Really easy summit of Horsetooth.<br /><br /><b>Thurs - 10 miles (3,200') hill repeats</b>. Lee put out the call for a Horsetooth Hills workout, and as much as I didn't want to do this, I knew I needed to start working on some fitness. The workout goes: 3 x 1/4, 2 x 1/2, 1 x 3/4, 1 x mile (capped with a Horsetooth summit) on an average grade of about 15%. I hit these at about 80% effort, but it was still grueling. There's a reason I don't do this workout much more than twice a year; it's just a rude way to start the day. Splits were a good 20-30 seconds off (per quarter) from what I usually do on this workout: 3:10, 3:00, 3:01, 5:59, 5:55, 8:55, 12:22.<br /><b>PM: 8 miles (1,300') easy</b>. Black Squirrel training run and Altra shoe demo from the Arthurs Rock trailhead in Lory. Great turnout for this run, with an opportunity to demo the new Lone Peak 2.0s, Olympus and Torins.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WXAhXemh7mM/U9e35jC4s3I/AAAAAAAAD74/B0C8Sa1W4qI/s1600/SquirrelRun.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WXAhXemh7mM/U9e35jC4s3I/AAAAAAAAD74/B0C8Sa1W4qI/s1600/SquirrelRun.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the Arthurs Rock TH.</td></tr></tbody></table><b>Fri - 5 miles (1,500') easy</b>. Jogged out a very easy lap on Horsetooth as recovery from Thurs and in preparation for a big day on Longs.<br /><br /><b>Sat - 18 miles (8,000') hoofing</b>. Radical Slam with Elijah and Jamie. More on this in a separate post, but the gist is this: Mount Meeker (13,911'), Longs Peak (14,256'), Pagoda Mountain (13,497'), Storm Peak (13,326'), Mount Lady Washington (13,281'), Battle Mountain (12,044'), Estes Cone (11,006'). Longs is a great peak, but man is there a lot of choss on the massif. A lot of rocks, a lot of peaks and just a really fun morning in the park.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ph_k14euR0I/U9ep_bHGmVI/AAAAAAAAD40/f1oaHl8SXH8/s1600/DSC00308.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ph_k14euR0I/U9ep_bHGmVI/AAAAAAAAD40/f1oaHl8SXH8/s1600/DSC00308.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elijah finds the elusive Clark's Arrow on the way to Longs and the Keplinger Couloir.&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rr8reYUxmQ8/U9eqC74oS6I/AAAAAAAAD48/gNVPj9DSfLA/s1600/DSC00310.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rr8reYUxmQ8/U9eqC74oS6I/AAAAAAAAD48/gNVPj9DSfLA/s1600/DSC00310.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Longs, Palisades, Loft and Meeker from Pagoda.&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table><b>Sun - 9 miles (1,200') easy</b>. Headed up to Cameron pass with Pete and worked on the Seven Utes to Agnes section of the Never Summer 100km course. Laid a bunch of cairns to clarify the route from Seven Utes to the Silver Creek trail, then did some trail maintenance on the rough logging road section from Braddock to Agnes. We've got the route pretty much 100% dialed now, and believe that we have the best course possible within the confines of State Forest State Park. It's been a blast figuring out the maze of unmapped (and often overgrown) logging roads, trails, and off-trail connectors; and what we've ended up with is - we think - a fantastic <a href="http://gnarrunners.com/state-forest-100k.html">full loop tour</a> of some amazing terrain in the Never Summer and Medicine Bow Mountains. Permits are pending, but we have the verbal thumbs up from the head ranger who seems super pumped about bringing a major trail race to the park. July 25, 2015: mark you calendars. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6GhihrE2Oso/U9e-DprFKDI/AAAAAAAAD8I/BwlnMCqoP0c/s1600/Elk-Static.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6GhihrE2Oso/U9e-DprFKDI/AAAAAAAAD8I/BwlnMCqoP0c/s1600/Elk-Static.jpg" height="242" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Meanwhile, Cam found a 5x5 bull elk on top of Static (12,571')! Say what! Never Summers are wild, man. Photo: Cam Cross.&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-az0jFNx8pQw/U9fAVGKeE9I/AAAAAAAAD8U/62uhPQ5bEzQ/s1600/Elk-Static-Pano.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-az0jFNx8pQw/U9fAVGKeE9I/AAAAAAAAD8U/62uhPQ5bEzQ/s1600/Elk-Static-Pano.jpg" height="133" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An Elk on the Static Ridge, looking north to Nokhu Crags, with Snow Lake below. Crazy pic: Cam Cross.&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table><b>Total: 80 miles (21,000)</b><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>http://irunmountains.blogspot.com/2014/07/five-weeks-ending-july-26.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nick)5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241238297532213032.post-2082829597954294469Thu, 17 Jul 2014 15:09:00 +00002014-07-18T07:58:19.777-07:00UTMF & Western States 100These two races form part of the new 10-race&nbsp;<a href="http://www.ultratrailworldtour.com/">Ultra Trail World Tour</a>, a year-long series of popular races around the world that will culminate with La Diagonale des Fous on the island of Reunion off the southeast coast of Africa in October. Whether or not the series has legs is yet to be seen, but it is certainly one example among many of the booming popularity that our once-niche sport is currently enjoying.<br /><br />Regardless of what the future holds for the UTWT, I was happy to be a small part of the effort in its foundational year. And while neither of these races went particularly well for me, in fact they both went quite poorly, I still consider myself extremely fortunate to have taken part in both.<br /><br />Indeed, a trip out to Japan to run around Mount Fuji should be on any runner's bucket list: the mountain is about as iconic as they come and Japan is about as welcoming a country as you could ever wish to visit. Throw in a detail-driven, organizational national psyche and you find yourself running around an amazing mountain with nary a second thought as to the potential pitfalls of running through the wilderness of a very foreign country.<br /><br />Western States, by contrast, is a race that I have become intimately familiar with over the last five years, and one that offers very few cultural surprises. It is a special event, if for no other reason than the foundational position it commands within the lore of the sport. And while I'm glad to be moving on from the event, I also know that I will dearly miss the passion - for the trail, for the sport, and for the community - that is so evidently on display in those 100 miles between Squaw Valley and Auburn, CA.<br /><br />What follows is a double report on these two UTWT races, followed by a couple of concluding thoughts on 100-miling and the pain of banging my head against a solid brick wall.<br /><br /><b><i>Mount Fuji</i></b><br /><br />After a week of incredibly gracious hospitality from Altra's man in Japan, Takashi Fukuchi, and his wonderful wife, Rae, it was time to get on with the task at hand: a lap around Nippon's Big Cone.<br /><br />The late afternoon start was something I could have done without given the extra layer of thought and preparation it added to my typical pre-race motions (wake up two hours before the start, eat donuts, drink coffee, visit the toilet, suit up, run), but you deal and get on with it.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EbIBtRcii-4/U2ZOKqL164I/AAAAAAAABg8/lBcj_op-HuE/s1600/IMG_3461.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EbIBtRcii-4/U2ZOKqL164I/AAAAAAAABg8/lBcj_op-HuE/s1600/IMG_3461.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13.333333969116211px;">Just before the start: me and Brian Beckstead, one of the three founding guys behind the Altra brand and a handy 100 miler to boot.</td></tr></tbody></table>The opening miles through Kawaguchiko under the shadow of Fuji were predictably fast (as predictably fast as U.S. races are predictably slow to get going), and I soon found myself running in a pack that included the lead ladies, among others. The opening dirt-road climb out of town probably averaged 10 percent, a grade right out of the Clarkie all-day playbook, and I soon found myself settling in nicely and moving up through the field. Topping out, we then transitioned to a very fast, net downhill section of tarmacadam, before finally hitting some soft piney singletrack for the descent into the village of Fujiyoshida.<br /><br />By the top of the next climb, which funneled into some outrageously fun, steep and technical singletrack high on the summit ridge of Shakushiyama, I was running within the top 10 and feeling great. That is until the ensuing technical, muddy descent from the summit where I took an awkward fall that left me prone on the ground with my left shoulder out of socket (a legacy from my rugby days). It had been a few years since my shoulder last dislocated, but a bit of on-the-ground contorting soon had it popped back into place and I was up and running soon after the initial stab of pain had subsided.<br /><br />Running in eighth or ninth now, I came in solo to the intermediate aid station before the next town, but left just as a gaggle of runners poured in. Flipping on my light, I soon realized that I was seriously underpowered in the lumen department compared to my peers and was forced to let them go on the technical descent into town.<br /><br />Rolling out of Yamanakako, I was fortunate enough to hook up with Dave Mackey who appeared to be running well and enjoying his evening. On the roads out of town we caught up to Frenchman Antoine Guillon and formed a solid trio as we made our way through a nice rolling wooded section, taking a name or two in the process. Both Dave and Antoine were clearly stronger on the downs (and both had far superior lighting), so it was back and forth as we cruised the rollers. Ultimately Dave would gap Antoine and me on a longer descent through this section, leaving me to pigeon-French a conversation with the amicable frogger for the next few hours.<br /><br />Attention to detail is not one of my stronger suits, and so in typical fashion I was experimenting with nutrition on the fly out in Japan. And to my great surprise my stomach appeared to be tolerating - nay embracing - the diluted Cool Citrus VFuel that I had mixed in a soft bladder-bottle stuffed into the chest pocket of my Ultraspire pack with a handy straw flapping around close to my mouth. Gels were going in at the pre-planned rate, energy levels were high, and confidence was strong as a result.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://pbs.twimg.com/media/BmENXEHIMAAb1zE.jpg:medium" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://pbs.twimg.com/media/BmENXEHIMAAb1zE.jpg:medium" height="212" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13.333333969116211px;">I spent a lot of the night rolling around in the mud.</td></tr></tbody></table>On a long road section somewhere close to the halfway point, last year's winner Hara-san went powering by at quite an impressive pace, dropping me to seventh or eighth. On the short out and back from the subsequent aid station I crossed Antoine and Mike Foote, so clearly the race was still very much on for top 10 placements. The net 10km of downhill dirt road that ensued went quickly and with little fanfare, with the exception of one particularly bruising fall. A couple shoulder checks along the way revealed two lights within a half mile behind; nothing in view ahead. Mike caught up to me just as we hit the water stop before a rough section of trail carved out by a power-line cut, and we ran the next portion together, both in high spirits.<br /><br />Still energized and feeling fantastic, I ran this section with Mike at what felt like a strong effort. Halfway through this section though, I took another abrupt digger, dislocating my shoulder once again in the process. This time it took a couple of minutes to pop it back in. Nonetheless, I was back running alongside Mike within a mile and we were soon catching and passing runners. First Hara and then an ailing Thomas Lorblanchet. Coming into the aid station under the TenShi Mountains, the crux of the course - and not before a third shoulder dislocation while grabbing a pole to make a 90 degree turn - Mike and I were sitting pretty in sixth and seventh.<br /><br />And then I learned from my crew that I'd eaten through the box of Cool Citrus that I'd brought with me and would have to make do with chocolate. While prepping for the burly 12 miles to come through the mountains, I spied a bowl of miso soup and slurped it down. Almost immediately my stomach rebelled, essentially ending my race and the charge for a podium finish.<br /><br />The four hours - yes four hours to complete 12 miles - through the night in the TenShi mountains were incredibly hard, and now that I was vomiting rather than eating, they were also fantastically exhausting. Nonetheless, there were apparently runners worse off than me. Near the top of the hands-and-feet first climb, I passed a hurting Dave Mackey, then soon passed an even-more hurting Emmanuel Gault for a temporary spot in the top five. But I knew it was just a matter of time before the floodgates behind opened up.<br /><br />Tip-toeing down the ludicrously steep descent from the final summit in the TenShi (where there were literally miles of fixed ropes), Antoine blazed past me. Given how poorly I was now moving, I was surprised he was the only one. Some four hours after I had left the previous stop, I finally pulled into aid station nine, with a new day now dawned. By this point I was truly miserable and giving serious consideration to dropping. My stomach was in knots and I was severely dehydrated. Apparently one bottle, no calories and lots of puking is not the way to tackle a four-hour stretch of technical, mountainous trail: attention to detail Clark! But I couldn't bring myself to pull the plug when faced with a crew that had sacrificed a weekend to come out and help.<br /><br />I jogged out of the aid until I was out of sight, and then began walking. A mile out I came across a camera crew and asked them how I could extricate myself from my predicament. Due to severe linguistic difficulties I didn't get an answer so walked on to a nice spot by a creek and sat on a rock not quite sure what to do. After 30 minutes of sitting around feeling sorry for myself, Dave came hobbling through looking perhaps as bad as I felt. He compelled me to walk the final 50km into the finish with him and all of a sudden I was moving again with a somewhat renewed sense of mission, and quite honestly relieved not be pulling the plug.<br /><br />Finally at the next aid station, I begin to feel like I might be able to get some calories in, and indeed a bowl of noodles was accepted by my stomach. On the ensuing climb, John Tidd caught up to me and I was able to find some energy and motivation, slotting in behind. Some 15 miles later at the penultimate aid station, with Tidd a long stretch of pavement behind me, Meghan Hicks informed me that I was in 10th position. Dumbfounded that I could still be in the top 10 (the rate of attrition was apparently quite high), I pressed on, finally finding the finish some 23 hours after I had started, relieved simply to have had the cojones to dig myself out of a major slump, to have finished what I had started, and to have gotten around the mountain.<br /><br />A DNF had very much been in the cards and totally acceptable to me at my lowest point out there, but thanks to Dave and John I was able to finish and am now of course hugely thankful to have done so. A trip all the way out to Japan with nothing but a DNF to show for it would have been painful to accept. Thank you Dave, thank you John, and thank you to my wonderful crew.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KEI4PbXHkcY/U24NxBw_NLI/AAAAAAAADg4/VizJsMpJs7o/s1600/Brendan+Davies+UTMF+2014+(30).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KEI4PbXHkcY/U24NxBw_NLI/AAAAAAAADg4/VizJsMpJs7o/s1600/Brendan+Davies+UTMF+2014+(30).jpg" height="175" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13.333333969116211px;">A thoroughly underserved 10th place finish.</td></tr></tbody></table><b><i>Western States</i></b><br /><br />Jogging up the ski hill, I was somewhat bemused by the ridiculously cagey start that was unfolding. With all the hares in the field, it seemed like at least one of them would take off up the mountain, but instead I found myself leading the way to the Escarpment at an effort that I estimated to be among my lowest ever in the five times I'd done this race. Through the Granite Chief I maintained that lead, before runners finally started catching up, close to Lyon Ridge.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wYF2oSbf_PI/U8f8BcNLBXI/AAAAAAAAD38/6hnXVrG13P4/s1600/Western-States-100M-2014-52.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wYF2oSbf_PI/U8f8BcNLBXI/AAAAAAAAD38/6hnXVrG13P4/s1600/Western-States-100M-2014-52.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First to the top. Not a bad morning for a run. Photo: Ryan Smith.</td></tr></tbody></table>The pace soon began to quicken and so I let the large chase pack go, feeling a distinct lack of pep and - quite honestly - desire in my stride. By Robinson Flat, some 30 miles in, I was beginning to feel like this wasn't going to be my day. I was 8 to 10 minutes off my usual pace, with a pair of quads that already felt iffy and a mind that had a singular lack of drive. Up to this point I had been working behind Ian Sharman and Brendan Davies, but on the ensuing half marathon descent from Robinson, I would lose them and then watch Ryan Sandes and Alex Varner pass by me with the utmost of ease.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kCEdk4hQzJU/U78HgUlOW5I/AAAAAAAAD3c/YxYFXKmbqOw/s1600/Duncan2014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kCEdk4hQzJU/U78HgUlOW5I/AAAAAAAAD3c/YxYFXKmbqOw/s1600/Duncan2014.JPG" height="214" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13.333333969116211px;">Coming into Duncan at mile 24. Photo: Justin Mock</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ymgI7v7A6ho/U78HxgfUG8I/AAAAAAAAD3k/XWwe8TJKqZg/s1600/Dusty2014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ymgI7v7A6ho/U78HxgfUG8I/AAAAAAAAD3k/XWwe8TJKqZg/s1600/Dusty2014.JPG" height="214" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13.333333969116211px;">Coming into Dusty Corners: Mock</td></tr></tbody></table>By Devil's Thumb at mile 47, I essentially knew the game was up and for the second time in as many races my thoughts transitioned to dropping out. On the contour trail to Last Chance, normally a strong section of the course for me, I was appalled at how slowly I was moving and then on the descent to Eldorado, I literally threw in the towel while tip-toeing down the drawn-out descent on a pair of totally unresponsive legs that appeared to have suffered major quad damage. Four or five guys - all looking good - went by me on the descent, and then a couple more as I lingered down by the creek eating blueberries.<br /><br />On the long walk up to Michigan Buff, as more runners streamed by, I plotted my escape route, 100 percent certain that I was going to quit, all the while thinking about how I was going to dodge the inevitable pressure to continue from crew and volunteers. Sitting in my chair feeling ridiculously sorry for myself and imploring overzealous aid station volunteers to leave me alone, I tried to clear my head a little. My quads were shot, my feet were blistered and I just couldn't visualize a finish. The 16 miles of mainly downhill on Cal Street seemed insurmountable.<br /><br />Finally, some 30 minutes later, Shelly Jones-Wilkins looks me straight in the eyes and tells me that I need to finish this race, learn from it and move on. There will be no lessons learned unless I get to the finish line. Finally, I feel a slight spark, and while the remaining 45 miles still seem quite impossible, I agree to a quick massage to see if that might turn my legs around. Two wonderful ladies work my legs and within three minutes they have me back up and running. Incredible. Thank you so much.<br /><br />Jacob Rydman, my selfless pacer, &nbsp;donates the socks off his feet, I slip my Lone Peaks back on and all of a sudden I'm running out of the aid station, and indeed I run virtually all the way to the next aid stop at Foresthill.<br /><br />By this point I am firmly out of the race for places, but a respectable finish in the 18-hour range still isn't out of the question. That is until my stomach predictably turns sour a quarter of the way down to the river, essentially ceasing all possibility of calorie consumption. Jacob and I move reasonably well on the descent to Cal 1, but then halfway between Cal 1 and Cal 2 I come up against a major brick wall. The nausea in combination with my blisters and blown quads stop me in my tracks and I tell Jake that I'm going to have to walk to Cal 2.<br /><br />Right at the top of the Elevator Shaft, a precipitous and loose drop into the Cal 2 aid station, I hear the unmistakable AJW baritone. The pass is about to happen and I step off the side of the trail to let Andy through. He stops briefly with a slight look of surprise in his eyes, then simply gives me a hug and tells me that he loves me. Wow. Somewhat taken aback, I proclaim my shared love for Andy and just like that he's ripping down the elevator shaft in pursuit of his tenth finish. The man-love from Andy is good and wholesome, but not enough to resolve my issues.<br /><br />I ask Jacob what the escape route out of Cal 2 looks like and he tells me that if I want to quit then I need to get to the river. Damn it. We sit in Cal 2 for a good long time. The stop eases my stomach situation slightly and I consume a couple of morsels, but mainly suck on ginger ale. I watch friends go through the aid, all looking motivated and strong, but find no motivation to move until an ailing Kaci Likteig walks in, proclaiming her quads to be destroyed. Finally somebody who can sympathize with my misery.<br /><br />We commit to walking down to the river together where we would perhaps unceremoniously drop or perhaps continue on to the finish. And then the Cal 2 calories appear to kick in a bit and I feel like I can jog again. Kaci catches my rhythm and all of a sudden we're both moving at what could genuinely be described as a 'run.' Spirits now high, Kaci and I make a pact that we're both going to finish this thing. We seal the deal with a fist bump, and for the first time since El Dorado and can envision a finish.<br /><br />Across the river I receive some foot treatment giving up further time on the clock, but not caring one iota. I struggle through the first few miles from Green Gate and then proceed to lose my lunch. The stomach reset allows me to continue running, but I go too hard and by the time I drop into the Auburn Lakes Trail aid station (85) I reach my lowest low of this unrelenting day of lows. The nausea engulfing me is now total and I sit in the aid station contemplating how on earth it is that I'm going to complete the final 15 miles of this bruising day. The answer ends up being time. I sit in the aid station for half an hour, maybe more, before finally heeding the advice of the wonderful ALT nurse to hike to Browns Bar, some five miles down the trail. We walk every single step of those five miles and finally my stomach comes back to life.<br /><br />Over those last 10 miles, I go from tiptoeing out a run, to gradually picking up a head of steam that would ultimately result in tempo session from No Hands Bridge through town and an all-out sprint on the track. I end the day feeling like I have barely started, my stomach is ready for calories and my mind is clear. I have never finished a 100 miler feeling this fresh, coherent and with such an appetite. Had it been a 200 mile race, I may just have been in with a shot.<br /><br />But it wasn't. Instead I finished 47th overall, over five hours off my best time, but in good spirits and at peace with my final run from Squaw Valley to Auburn, California. It has been a fun ride but it's most definitely time to move on to other challenges. The cougar will have to remain the thing that dreams are made ... to quote Sam Spade.<br /><i><b><br /></b></i><i><b>Conclusion</b></i><br /><br />In order to race 100 milers effectively, your mind most be 100 percent committed. I believe my mind was ready for Fuji, but totally indifferent to Western States this year. I figured I could show up, go through the motions and come away with a solid finish. Instead, when things started going wrong, I used those hurdles as excuses to look for a way out. <br /><br />In order to race 100 miles effectively, you need a functioning stomach. I'm close to being at my wits end on this one. I will work with my good friend Abby McQueeney Penamonte - a registered dietician and talented 100 mile runner herself - over the next few weeks to see if we can't figure something out for Steamboat in September. If that ends up being another disaster, then I am currently of the opinion that I will retire from racing 100 milers - or at least take an extended break. I know what it feels like to endure hours of nausea whilst trying to maintain strong forward progress, and quite frankly it sucks. I don't need to keep banging my head against that wall.<br /><br />Fortunately, there are plenty of other long-distance challenges that can be taken on in the mountains at a much lower intensity, so if I do end up quitting the 100 mile distance it will hopefully come with a renewed sense of purpose for big projects in the mountains that perhaps do not involve a formal start and finish line.<br /><br />Either way, I am happy to have completed both UTMF and Western States, despite an overwhelming desire at points in both races to quit, and I look forward to applying those lessons learned to future challenges.http://irunmountains.blogspot.com/2014/07/utmf-western-states-100.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nick)25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241238297532213032.post-3561207735078311446Mon, 23 Jun 2014 05:25:00 +00002014-06-22T22:25:27.868-07:00training logWeek Ending June 22<b>Mon - 6.5 miles (1,500') easy</b>. Jogged a lap on Horsetooth.<br /><br /><b>Tues - Noon: 4.5 miles (700') easy</b>. Quick Falls loop in the new Lone Peak 2.0s, which felt great, but I won't be able to get enough miles on them before Western to have full confidence, so I'll be donning the 1.5s.<br /><b>PM: 6.5 miles track</b>. The last 300 meters of the Western States 100 famously take in 3/4s of the Placer High School track, so when the email came through from Jane detailing this week's track workout I could but smile: 2km warmup, followed by 10 x 300. Dressed in a long-sleeve base layer, a winter beanie, knee-length tights and compression socks (yes, I looked like a prick), I got to work with my shirtless compadres. Opening 2k was 6:46 w/5:23 mile, then: 55, 55, 55, 56, 55, 55, 54, 55, 55, 52. I know, I'll never be accused of being a speed demon. And that's why I race 100s.<br /><br /><b>Weds - 4 miles easy</b>. Felt predictably gimpy after yesterday's session at the oval, so just got out for a nice easy jog through the Marina campgrounds.<br /><br /><b>Thurs - 8.5 miles (1,700') hill tempo</b>. Another Thursday, another session on Towers. I tried to keep this one within the realms of comfortable, but ended up working harder than I would have liked - on a perfect late-spring evening - for a mediocre 30:40. Not quite the confidence boost I was looking for. Ran the descent much harder than usual with Brad and his buddies.<br /><br /><b>Fri - Off</b>. My right hamstring felt slightly tweaked from the Towers descent, so I made the easy decision of taking a day off. &nbsp; <br /><br /><b>Saturday - 12.5 miles (4,500') up high</b>. Got out with Burch to celebrate the solstice by heading up to State Forest to nab a couple of high peaks in the Medicine Bow Mountains. In addition, we attempted to connect a few of the rougher sections of trail on the Never Summer 100k course, with varying degrees of success. Parking on a pull-out halfway between the 2WD and 4WD trailheads on the Ruby Jewel Rd we donated some blood to a vicious swarm of skeeters then got going. The route to Jewel Lake was fairly straightforward, with just a few lingering snowfields to navigate, then it was a gorgeous, tundra-filled hump towards the 'Lewis' and Clark saddle, from where we headed north to tag 'Lewis' peak (12,654') and take in the super stellar views. From Lewis, it was a quick down and up to Clark Peak (12,951'), the highest point in Jackson County and the peak with most prominence in Larimer County (it straddles the border of both counties). The views from both peaks were quite sensational and offered unparalleled views of a number of sub-ranges within the mighty Rockies, including the Never Summers, Medicine Bow, Mummies, Park Range, Front Range, Snowies, and more. Seriously, this is perhaps the best vantage point of the Rockies that I've ever had the fortune of enjoying. We connected with a faint use trail south off Clark, wrapping west on the ridge to the south of the Jewel Lake bowl under Lewis and Clark, before dropping back in and down to the truck. We finished up the morning with some running on the Yurt trail, connecting some pieces that I failed to find on last weekend's scouting trip. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Y1hRU-bV4kg/U6b8lRBVFTI/AAAAAAAAD1k/1evOh7QEdZo/s1600/DSC00283.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Y1hRU-bV4kg/U6b8lRBVFTI/AAAAAAAAD1k/1evOh7QEdZo/s1600/DSC00283.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The tundra-adorned southern Medicine Bows in the foreground, including Diamond Peaks, then pretty much the full Never Summer line-up in back with the high point, (Baron von) Richthofen, slightly off center to the left in the top of the frame and, I think, Baker all the way south in the top right. That traverse is high on my list for this summer. So good.</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VM5Px1svh4U/U6cEIlVa3EI/AAAAAAAAD10/zG0AxKAJzp4/s1600/DSC00267.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VM5Px1svh4U/U6cEIlVa3EI/AAAAAAAAD10/zG0AxKAJzp4/s1600/DSC00267.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From same vantage point (top 'Lewis'), looking north to the northern Med Bows.</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8rFt5m_mXiw/U6cELid-BCI/AAAAAAAAD18/rQ-KJqTFAY4/s1600/DSC00270.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8rFt5m_mXiw/U6cELid-BCI/AAAAAAAAD18/rQ-KJqTFAY4/s1600/DSC00270.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hidden Vally section of the Never Summer 100k course in the foreground, then Park Range west across North Park.</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-u6jvrKSst-U/U6cEPUi_S-I/AAAAAAAAD2E/9lRyzHwRJ9A/s1600/DSC00272.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-u6jvrKSst-U/U6cEPUi_S-I/AAAAAAAAD2E/9lRyzHwRJ9A/s1600/DSC00272.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clark Peak and south section of the Med Bows. This whole range is super carpeted and could be done in very quick order.&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JMx0olyYtEs/U6cERHphGUI/AAAAAAAAD2M/6uNtlu3x-a8/s1600/DSC00273.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JMx0olyYtEs/U6cERHphGUI/AAAAAAAAD2M/6uNtlu3x-a8/s1600/DSC00273.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Front Range Peaks, including Longs in the top left.&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BtRRYFtFT9Y/U6cETT7hL9I/AAAAAAAAD2U/3F-OBfGzamc/s1600/DSC00279.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BtRRYFtFT9Y/U6cETT7hL9I/AAAAAAAAD2U/3F-OBfGzamc/s1600/DSC00279.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clark &amp; Clark from top 'Lewis'</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-V-jPImtSiGg/U6cEVjQUByI/AAAAAAAAD2c/ZnSu5kDEOf8/s1600/DSC00281.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-V-jPImtSiGg/U6cEVjQUByI/AAAAAAAAD2c/ZnSu5kDEOf8/s1600/DSC00281.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love this range. Mummies from top Clark Peak. Five of the six peaks that make up the Mummy Mania traverse visible (Hagues, Fairchild, Ypsilon, Chiquita and Chapin (L-R), with Mummy obscured behind Hagues).</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZrcuXmvWeGs/U6cEcEgCRpI/AAAAAAAAD2s/ZXyE1XWPU5o/s1600/DSC00286.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZrcuXmvWeGs/U6cEcEgCRpI/AAAAAAAAD2s/ZXyE1XWPU5o/s1600/DSC00286.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lewis center, Clark right.</td></tr></tbody></table><b>Sun - 5 miles (1,500') hike/jog</b>. I wasn't going to do anything today, but I felt the need to get out, so compromised with a stiff hike to the top of Horsetooth and a gentle jog down. Came home and watched some footie. The U.S. looked so much better than the useless English earlier in the week. Guess I'll be wearing my U.S. hat for the rest of the WC.<br /><br /><b>Total: 47.5 miles (9,900')</b><br /><b><br /></b>Off to Tahoe on Weds. We'll see what the weekend brings!http://irunmountains.blogspot.com/2014/06/week-ending-june-22.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nick)5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241238297532213032.post-8277053578087701677Tue, 17 Jun 2014 15:33:00 +00002014-06-17T08:35:13.679-07:00Never Summer 100kmtraining logWS100Week Ending June 15<b>Mon - 4.5 miles (700') easy</b>. Falls loop. Headed out late in the day for a Horsetooth summit, but just couldn't muster the energy, so bailed with a consolation loop on the lower trails.<br /><br /><b>Tues - AM: 6.5 miles (1,500') easy</b>. Horsetooth summit. A super casual jog in the heat of the day with an extra layer just to warm the legs a bit for the evening's track workout.<br /><b>PM: 6 miles track</b>. It was good and hot at the track this evening, so I got some strange looks warming up in pants and a jacket, but I like to get a good sweat going before doing anything intense like a track workout. Nonetheless, it always takes me the first couple of reps to really commit to doing these things. Workout was: mile, 4 x 800. Eased in on the first couple laps of the mile, then worked the second 800 a bit. For the 800s, we were working in pairs with the second runner (me) joining/pulling the first runner on his second lap before soloing his own second lap. This dynamic led to a lazy first 800, before I figured I needed to push a little harder on the first lap as the second runner: 5:30, 2:40, 2:36, 2:35, 2:35. These reps felt really, really good - totally under control with plenty in the tank to push harder had I wanted.<br /><br /><b>Weds - AM: 6.5 miles (1,500') easy</b>. Horsetooth summit. Good and easy.<br /><b>PM: 6 miles easy</b>. Easy out and back on the Valley trails.<br /><br /><b>Thurs - 10.5 miles (1,200') easy</b>. Ran the Blue Sky/Indian Summer out and back with Sarah, Lee and Slush. Latched onto Sarah's uptick in pace over the last couple miles, otherwise just a nice early morning cruise.<br /><br /><b>Fri - 6 miles easy</b>. Jogged an out and back from the Blue Sky trailhead to Shoreline/Nomad. Layered up for this one and got a solid sweat going. <br /><br /><b>Sat - 12 miles (2,000') easy</b>. We stayed at the Montgomery Yurt up at State Forest in the Medicine Bow Mountains this weekend, which was a total blast. This trip had a dual purpose. In addition to wanting to get away somewhere remote with the family, I was also champing at the bit to get up to State Forest - now snow free up to about 10.5k' - to start scouting the Never Summer 100k race we plan on debuting next year.<br /><br />Up with the sun, I followed the Yurt Trail connecting the Montgomery Pass Rd to the Ruby Jewel Rd - starting approximately 26 miles into our intended route. This is typically a winter trail intended for yurt to yurt ski tours of the park, so the realities on the ground in the summer were less than ideal. The well-defined ATV track of the designated trail soon gave way to mainly cross country travel with a hint of trail thrown in here and there through the trees. On the final clear cut before I was supposed to pop out on the Ruby Jewel Rd I totally lost the trail and ended up bushwhacking through the woods on the 9,600' contour that the trail was marked as following over the final mile or so. Once on the road I jogged up to the next trail intersection, passing the exit point of the Yurt Trail after a quarter mile, so just a little low, but good to know that the trail goes all the way through. From there, I picked up the Mtn View Trail, shortcutting through a heinous clearcut near the bottom to get back on the main park road, from whence it was a jog back to the yurt. This was a fun, if somewhat slow and frustrating morning, and an eye-opener for the kind of terrain this race is going to take in. Following the run, we hot-footed it out to Steamboat for an afternoon in the hot springs followed by the usual downer of watching England perform poorly in the World Cup.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L6VMQiYs7hs/U6BHx9IG-_I/AAAAAAAAD1I/AO0L6O1Hg6E/s1600/DSC00256.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L6VMQiYs7hs/U6BHx9IG-_I/AAAAAAAAD1I/AO0L6O1Hg6E/s1600/DSC00256.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YYqnwxcKKL4/U6BGjq1_PZI/AAAAAAAADzw/0kA-YYNLwp8/s1600/DSC00166.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YYqnwxcKKL4/U6BGjq1_PZI/AAAAAAAADzw/0kA-YYNLwp8/s1600/DSC00166.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fT29YoA34yA/U6BGmKvrReI/AAAAAAAADz8/PcMlSQ_PS6Y/s1600/DSC00167.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fT29YoA34yA/U6BGmKvrReI/AAAAAAAADz8/PcMlSQ_PS6Y/s1600/DSC00167.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hHKnJ-GX89Q/U6BH0hZiHSI/AAAAAAAAD1Q/N-MRN3AdO7k/s1600/DSC00175.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hHKnJ-GX89Q/U6BH0hZiHSI/AAAAAAAAD1Q/N-MRN3AdO7k/s1600/DSC00175.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yurt Fun</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yZqjahT2SPQ/U6BGqgVu4VI/AAAAAAAAD0E/Io-kDlSqAsI/s1600/DSC00185.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yZqjahT2SPQ/U6BGqgVu4VI/AAAAAAAAD0E/Io-kDlSqAsI/s1600/DSC00185.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yurt 'trail.' XC travel will be required.</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-P_DsxThqxE8/U6BG7jjwYgI/AAAAAAAAD0I/VXDcCTEMMvo/s1600/DSC00195.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-P_DsxThqxE8/U6BG7jjwYgI/AAAAAAAAD0I/VXDcCTEMMvo/s1600/DSC00195.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Once clearcut, these saplings are growing in thick and fast.</td></tr></tbody></table><b>Sun - 10 miles (1,800') easy</b>. More scouting, this time in the far northern section of the course under Clark Peak and the Rawah section of the Medicine Bows. The first half of this run was on well-maintained forest road, which gave way to overgrown madness on the connector 'trail' I was scouting. As is common in State Park, which has been extensively logged over the years due to heavy beetle kill, a lot of the old logging roads are now being aggressively reclaimed by vibrant saplings which have been lapping things up in the moist environment. After bushwhacking the final mile of trail/road, I finally popped back out on the eastern side of the loop from where I enjoyed a return on super skinny trail that clearly sees heavy game activity but little human passage. With the vibrant wild flowers, remote location and game-rutted trails, this whole section was very reminiscent of some of the more remote sections of the Big Horn course.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y11MBPQWypM/U6BHORqjx2I/AAAAAAAAD0Y/xEbc1TpCtuk/s1600/DSC00214.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y11MBPQWypM/U6BHORqjx2I/AAAAAAAAD0Y/xEbc1TpCtuk/s1600/DSC00214.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trail coming in from the Hidden Valley Alpine section, which also takes in Kelly Lake.&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2D6BCKMTKGY/U6BHdcVa5QI/AAAAAAAAD0g/ub7oL_R30Ug/s1600/DSC00228.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2D6BCKMTKGY/U6BHdcVa5QI/AAAAAAAAD0g/ub7oL_R30Ug/s1600/DSC00228.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Once a trail. A half mile later and it was solid bushwhacking with no discernible evidence of a trail. &nbsp;More scouting required.</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Xef38JMGQdI/U6BHg_mY-3I/AAAAAAAAD0o/lLWa2CsA_M4/s1600/DSC00235.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Xef38JMGQdI/U6BHg_mY-3I/AAAAAAAAD0o/lLWa2CsA_M4/s1600/DSC00235.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Diamond Peaks, Nokhu Crags, Richthofen and Mahler on the south end of the course (north end of the Never Summers). The first 25 miles of the course route under and around the Never Summers by way of Seven Utes, Lake Agnes, Michigan Ditch and Michigan Lakes. Then up Diamond Peaks and into the Medicine Bows for some ridge running to Montgomery Pass. So good.&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4Y-s65vgWpE/U6BHku6Q5zI/AAAAAAAAD0w/2u33WUCCWdU/s1600/DSC00236.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4Y-s65vgWpE/U6BHku6Q5zI/AAAAAAAAD0w/2u33WUCCWdU/s1600/DSC00236.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Much of the course can be seen here through a clearing on the north end. The Never Summers are off in the distance, before the contour under the Medicine Bow Mountains and through alpine terrain in Hidden Valley on the left side of the frame. The low point on the course will be about 8,500' with approximately half of it run above 10,000', topping out at just below 12,000' on North Diamond Peak.</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Qi5ymEk3_Vc/U6BHqKSZdQI/AAAAAAAAD04/1p2x7JFl8Ns/s1600/DSC00241.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Qi5ymEk3_Vc/U6BHqKSZdQI/AAAAAAAAD04/1p2x7JFl8Ns/s1600/DSC00241.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The trails, as it turns out, are not always so well defined. Heavy marking will be required in a number of sections.</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--_Z7DtCLCzM/U6BHuN5ORhI/AAAAAAAAD1A/CxXl9liiGQ0/s1600/DSC00243.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--_Z7DtCLCzM/U6BHuN5ORhI/AAAAAAAAD1A/CxXl9liiGQ0/s1600/DSC00243.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moose country.</td></tr></tbody></table><b>Total: 68 miles (7,800')</b><br /><b><br /></b>A little low on the mileage again, largely due to the light weekend volume brought on by poor route finding and time constraints. But it was still a super fun weekend in a truly unique, beautiful and under-visited part of Colorado. Pete and I will be up at State Park for much of the summer figuring the best route possible for next year's Never Summer 100km. If interested, we're planning a preview/scout of the course with any and all that are interested the weekend of July 18/19. We've reserved a couple sites at the Bockman Campground for up to 12 people, but further reservations are probably required at this point if you're interested in joining.<br /><br />What else? Ah, yes, Western States is less than two weeks away. I really have no idea how this year's race is going to play out. While I feel less prepared than any previous year from a pure fitness standpoint, I also have an inner confidence that I'll still be able to get the job done in a respectable time. I feel little to no pressure to perform, despite putting some fairly aggressive goals out there on the interwebs, which I believe puts me in a good mental spot. I know how to run these things, so I just need to execute on race day. That's it really - no time to be overthinking things now.<br /><br />Mike and I will be driving out Wednesday evening, getting into the Tahoe area Thursday around noon. We'll need to source some kind of accommodation, likely in the Reno area, and then I'll be speaking on the Veteran's Panel that night with such luminaries of the sport as Karl Meltzer, Meghan Arbogast and Topher Gaylord. How I came to be considered a veteran, I am not quite sure, but it should be a fun evening and hopefully I have some useful nuggets to impart. Consider stopping by if you're in the area.http://irunmountains.blogspot.com/2014/06/week-ending-june-15.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nick)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241238297532213032.post-5068670900698843298Tue, 10 Jun 2014 15:10:00 +00002014-06-10T09:51:27.408-07:00training logFour Weeks Ending June 8<b><i>Week Ending May 18</i></b><br /><b><i><br /></i></b><b>Mon - AM: 6.5 miles (1,500') easy</b>. After taking a couple easy weeks post UTMF, I was having a hard time getting my head back into the thought of training, so I eased back in today with a glide to the top of Horsetooth (106).<br /><br /><b>Tues - AM: 6.5 miles (1,500') easy</b>. Just an easy jog up the hill (107) to loosen things up a bit for the afternoon workout.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FAsextFltns/U5HqQai51FI/AAAAAAAADxQ/55hbdRQA49M/s1600/OfftheRock.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FAsextFltns/U5HqQai51FI/AAAAAAAADxQ/55hbdRQA49M/s1600/OfftheRock.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This may have been a summit from the week before, but I'm losing track: Sarah, Katie, Emily, Becca, Marie and Lee</td></tr></tbody></table><b>PM: 6 miles at the track</b>. This was the first Tuesday Night Track workout of the season and as always there was a huge turnout. Nonetheless, Jane manages the workout so well that it never feels overcrowded. Workout for the evening was 6 x 800, and after easing in on the first one, I held the pace at between 2:32 &amp; 2:35, working with Brian Murphy and a couple others. Good to be back on the oval.<br /><br /><b>Weds - 10 miles (2,500') easy</b>. Jogged out the 10 mile Horsetooth (108), Westridge route at a reasonably casual effort. Picked up the pace coming down Spring Creek just to put a little pressure on the quads.<br /><br /><b>Thurs - AM: 7 miles (1,800') easy</b>. Horsetooth summit (109).<br /><b>PM: 6 miles uber easy</b> at the FCTR social run at Pineridge.<br /><br /><b>Fri: 10.5 miles easy (1,200')</b>. Met Sarah early morning for a nice, social jaunt on the Blue Sky &amp; Indian Summer loop.<br /><br /><b>Saturday: 23.5 miles (3,000') long</b>. Mike H was in town for the weekend, so we decided to make the most of it with a couple of weekend long runs. We started things off with the classic Blue Sky out and back from my house. Indian Summer on the way out and straight through on the way back. Picked things up just a touch over the last five or six miles and felt great.<br /><br /><b>Sunday: 23 miles (4,500')</b> at Lumpy Ridge in Estes Park. Drove up the devastated Big Thompson Canyon with Mike to meet Abby &amp; Kircher at the Lumpy Ridge trailhead. The standard loop around the famed Lumpy Ridge rock formations is 10.5 miles with a couple decent climbs, but if you tack on the spurs to Bridal Veil Falls and Balanced Rock, then it is close to 16 miles. A third spur option is to run all the way through to the Cow Creek trailhead and then take the North Boundary trail out to West Creek Falls, which adds another seven miles and a couple short, sharp climbs. Mike and I took in all three spurs which made for a really scenic and fun morning. Seriously, this is just a killer run that is capped off with some of the best views of the RMNP peaks you can find, coming down from Gem Lake. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fspui8vsLiI/U5HwCNrsOFI/AAAAAAAADxg/FsUo1sO2JWo/s1600/DSC00142.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fspui8vsLiI/U5HwCNrsOFI/AAAAAAAADxg/FsUo1sO2JWo/s1600/DSC00142.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Feck it, we'll just call 'em Bridal Veil Falls!"</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NY6EV72Gd_Y/U5HwQEGaFVI/AAAAAAAADxo/9lMpT95bpyk/s1600/DSC00149.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NY6EV72Gd_Y/U5HwQEGaFVI/AAAAAAAADxo/9lMpT95bpyk/s1600/DSC00149.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2lqLi3wINYI/U5HxJn_D5tI/AAAAAAAADx4/6A3_p57sCoU/s1600/DSC00153.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2lqLi3wINYI/U5HxJn_D5tI/AAAAAAAADx4/6A3_p57sCoU/s1600/DSC00153.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The almost as imaginatively named, West Creek Falls.</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LWeHFzHO_tg/U5HwTaEmQtI/AAAAAAAADxw/5r_61pqdVvM/s1600/DSC00157.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LWeHFzHO_tg/U5HwTaEmQtI/AAAAAAAADxw/5r_61pqdVvM/s1600/DSC00157.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don't get me started on this one, the Rock that is Balanced.&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bk68T0mwluM/U5Hxt8DfstI/AAAAAAAADyI/fsTvviU_m-o/s1600/DSC00160.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bk68T0mwluM/U5Hxt8DfstI/AAAAAAAADyI/fsTvviU_m-o/s1600/DSC00160.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">RMNP Peaks, dominated as always by Her Majesty.</td></tr></tbody></table><b>Total: 99 miles (16,000')</b><br /><br />After a slow start to the week, it felt good to be back in the training saddle with two solid long runs on the weekend and a weekly total knocking on the triple-digit door.<br /><br /><b><i>Week Ending May 25</i></b><br /><b><br /></b><b>Mon - 6.5 miles easy (1,500')</b>. Horsetooth summit (110).<br /><br /><b>Tues - Noon: 6.5 miles (1,500') easy</b>. Horsetooth jog (111). Birthday summit.<br /><b>PM: 7 miles @ the track</b>. Workout was: mile, 800, 400, 400, 800, 400, 400. Still adjusting to the realities of the track, so kept these under control for fear of ripping my muscles to shreds: 5:32, 2:35, 77, 73, 2:37, 76, 74.<br /><br /><b>Weds: 7 miles easy (1,800') </b>on the hill (112).<br /><br /><b>Thurs - AM: 5 miles (1,000') easy</b>. Super casual Falls jog.<br /><b>PM: 9.5 miles (1,900') hill progression tempo</b>. Ran just under 31 minutes with an effort that felt largely under control. Easy to get going as usual, then significant pick up in effort about halfway up the hill once the breathing and heart rate were fully under my control.<br /><br /><b>Fri - AM: 10 miles (2,000') easy</b>. From Soderberg to top of Arthurs Rock (&amp; back) with Andy, Jason, Lee and Marie.<br /><b>PM: 4.5 miles (700') easy</b>. Falls shakeout jog.<br /><br /><b>Sat - 18.5 miles (4,000') easy</b>. Wasn't quite sure where I was headed this morning, so predictably enough I found myself out at Horsetooth bagging a couple of peaks (113 &amp; 114) and generally tooling around until I felt like long-run status had been achieved (i.e., the watch clicked past three hours).<br /><br /><b>Sun - 20.5 miles (2,500') easy</b>. I wanted a few more miles on the morning, but was happy to compromise with Burch - who was looking for no more than the bottom end of the long-run spectrum (20 miles) - in favor of having company on a morning where I had little to no motivation to be out for hours. Picked things up a notch coming home.<br /><b><br /></b><b>Total: 95 miles (17,000')&nbsp;</b><br /><b><br /></b>It was hard work mentally getting out for the longer runs this weekend, a not uncommon state for me to be in at this stage of the training cycle, especially now that the excitement of the build-up to Western States is simply nowhere near what it used to be a few years ago.<br /><br /><b><i>Week Ending June 1</i></b><br /><br /><b>Mon - 10.5 miles easy</b>. In San Diego for work all week, so had to make do. Ran from near the Convention Center out on the promenade for a bit over 5 miles then ran back. Ho hum.<br /><br /><b>Tues - 10.5 miles </b>on the same route as Monday, with a bit of workout mixed into the middle: mile, two mile, mile at 6:00 min pace.<br /><b>PM: 5 miles easy</b> jogging out to and around Balboa Park.<br /><br /><b>Weds - 9.5 miles of easy</b> jogging on the promenade again.<br /><br /><b>Thurs - 8 miles with 5 @ tempo</b>. Short on time, I squeezed out what I could. Five miles at 6:05, 5:55, 5:52, 5:42, 5:48 after a short warm up.<br /><br /><b>Fri - 10.5 miles easy</b> on the promenade again. Not very imaginative with my route choices this week, but you do what you can on limited time in unfamiliar cities.<br /><br /><b>Sat - 26.5 miles (5,500') downhill focus</b>. 3:30. Met up early in Drake with Mike Aish and headed up Storm Mountain (~10,000') at a steady, but social pace. Topped out and then ran the 9 mile descent at a steady 6:00 min effort. Refueled at the car, then ran back up the hill for another four miles before dropping again at a good effort. Downs felt okay, but I was slogging pretty good on the climbs. Another one of the classic spring workouts in the books.<br /><br /><b>Sun 33.5 miles (1,500') easy</b>. 4:10. My neighbor Patti turned 40 around the same time as me, so somehow she talked me into running a 40 mile birthday route (of her choosing) ending at Grimm Brothers Brewery in Loveland. We agreed that I'd give her a 3.5 hour head start in the name of making a race of it. Considering that she was already close to 20 miles done by the time I got going, I figured I'd need to run a low 7 min pace to catch up. I locked into that pace on the 13 mile Redstone Canyon out and back (with its handy, and accurate, mile markers) and pushed on at that effort for the remainder of the route: Masonville Rd, Glade Res out and back to water treatment plant, Carter Lake Rd, 1st Street east. Having never run more than 26 miles, Patti predictably enough bonked pretty hard and I caught her 32 miles in. I rounded up to 33.5 for 60 on the weekend and then we agreed to snag a ride to the brewery with Amy - another neighbor - who was out as a roving aid station. I finished the last mile or two at a good up-tempo pace and felt like I could have run quite comfortably for another 20 miles at that pace. Despite the flat, tedious nature of this run, it was good to feel so strong at the tail end of a 60-mile weekend.<br /><br /><b>Total: 109 miles (7,000')</b><br /><b><br /></b>Being in San Diego for a long week of work was by no means ideal timing at this critical stage of the training process, but flat routes make for quick mileage which is reflected in the weekly total. Reflecting back now, the quicker road mileage on hard surfaces is probably just as useful as grinding away in the hills, if not more so as it offered a good change of pace and a chance to work different muscle groups. With the big weekend mileage, this was a good week and much better than I initially thought it would be. &nbsp; <br /><b><br /></b><b><i>Week Ending June 8&nbsp;</i></b><br /><b><br /></b><b>Mon - Off. </b>Felt a little sore from the weekend, so decided to be smart and take a day off.<br /><br /><b>Tues - 5 miles (1,000') easy</b> on the Falls loop. Still pretty lackluster in the leg department.<br /><b>PM: 6 miles @ the track</b>. Feeling kinda gimpy still, I almost bailed on the workout, but figured I'd show up and just run tempo type efforts, even with the 2k, 8 x 400 planned workout. Ran the 2k with Sarah @ 6:00 pace, then went: 82, 77, 76, 75, 74, 74, 73, 72.<br /><br /><b>Weds - AM: 7 miles (1,800') easy</b>. Jogged out a super easy Horsetooth summit (115) and felt like the legs were finally starting to come around.<br /><b>PM: 6 miles (500') easy</b> on the Blue Sky Trail.<br /><br /><b>Thurs - AM: 10.5 miles (1,500') easy</b>. Bluesky/Indian Summer with Sarah, Mike &amp; Garcia. It's always fun to get these early AM miles in with friends.<br /><b>PM: 9.5 miles (2,000') steady</b>. Ran a high 33 on Towers with Burch at what was supposed to be a 36 min effort. I was relieved to see the time on the watch as it felt a good bit harder than 36 mins is supposed to feel.<br /><br /><b>PM: 6 miles (500') easy</b> on Blue Sky.<br /><br /><b>Sat - 19.5 miles (1,800') race</b>. A fifth win at Wyoming's oldest (continuous) footrace. Just a few seconds off my Pilot Hill PR, which came as something of a surprise, as I was expecting to be a good two minutes off my time from last year. The fitness it would seem is about in the general ballpark of where it needs to be. But that is just a small piece of the puzzle.<br /><br /><b>Sun - 20.5 miles (3,200) easy</b>. Ran a double Bobcat Ridge with Danny, although bailed at Powerline on the second as my legs just had nothing and I was generally disinterested with being out running. Nonetheless, it was good to get the mileage completed.<br /><br /><b>Total: 90 miles (12,300')</b><br /><b><br /></b>Three weeks out from Western States now, and while I would have liked to have seen a bigger number on the final week of training before the start of my standard three-week taper, I'm just not sweating it. I've been through this process five times now, so there will be no surprises on race day.<br /><br />It was fun as always to be up in Laramie Wyoming this past weekend to catch up with friends there, and also to get a read on my fitness through the Pilot Hill 25k Litmus Test. I had to work hard for it this year, thanks to a very fit Chris Schabron, so the final time is reflective of a harder effort perhaps than usual, but to come within half a minute of last year (despite a one min slower climb) is indicator enough for me that the fitness is 'good enough.' I'm not going to lie and state that I feel totally on top of my game, as I don't, but I do feel plenty strong. Western States this year will come down to execution. And my gut.<br /><br />I've run the race enough times now that I feel confident in executing a race plan designed to get me to the finish as quickly as possible. I feel no pressure whatsoever to run with the lead group, a trap that sank me last year and came close to doing so in 2012. This year I plan on running the cliched 'smart race.' I will stay on the reins until Foresthill and then let my wiser-than-his-age pacer (Jake Rydman) take me home at a pace appropriate for my condition and distance to the finish line. Indeed, I want to run the last 20 miles this year the same way I did in 2010, finishing in a racing frame of mind (versus pure survival) with the same 60 minute split from Highway 49, and preferably coming in under Mike Morton's master's best of 15:40 from last year.<br /><br />With regards to gut issues, I had great luck at UTMF with VFuel's new Cool Citrus flavor diluted in water. Unfortunately, I ran out at the key moment just before the toughest section of the course, and my gut predictably went to crap. But the consistent energy highs I was having until that point on a totally settled stomach was a major revelation. I'm coming to CA armed with 50 Cool Citrus gels this time around and have a newfound confidence in my gut. If I can stay solid there, I know my legs will give me what I need.<br /><br />So there it is. The training block has been somewhat patchy and definitely low on volume relative to previous years, but I feel like the mental game will be where it needs to be and I have high hopes for the nutrition side of the equation too. Those two pieces - if executed - will more than make up for a few missed training runs.<br /><br />Ready.http://irunmountains.blogspot.com/2014/06/four-weeks-ending-june-1.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nick)7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241238297532213032.post-3422579640713508568Tue, 03 Jun 2014 21:31:00 +00002014-06-03T14:55:49.543-07:00training logFive Weeks Ending May 11Chipping away here to see if I can't get caught up on this blog before I toe the line at Western States in three and a half weeks. It has been an incredibly busy last couple of months, so the old blog has had to take a back seat as other priorities have demanded my time. With the summer season now pretty much in full effect here on the Front Range, things are finally beginning to ease up a bit and I can start catching up with other items on the to-do list.<br /><br />The long and the short of the last few months is that I raced a couple of big races, a 100 miler included; put on a 50 miler; traveled a good bit for work; chauffeured kids around town; turned 40; squeezed in mileage; knocked out my 100th Horsetooth of the year; and attempted to be a good husband to boot. The usual stuff. Next year, I plan on calming things down significantly by taking a few things off my plate. I really don't enjoy being madly busy.<br /><br />And now I find myself a few short weeks removed from the 'Big dance,' 'the Track Race,' 'the Showdown in the Sierras.' That's right, Western States has crept up and it's almost time to start thinking about tapering. The last three weeks - missing from the recap below - have been pretty solid, so I'm happy enough with where my fitness is right now even if, in relative terms, I might be a half step behind where I've been in past years. But the beauty of the 100 mile race is that pure fitness is by no means the be all and end all of competing successfully. It's important for sure, but so is being in the right head space, having experience, possessing superior physical &amp; mental toughness, and a whole host of race-day intangibles. Throw a Yahtzee on race day and I could end up PR'ing and challenging again for a podium spot - fitness be damned. Launch an air ball, and, well, you know, I may not even get to the finish line. Such a fickle distance.<br /><br />Anyway, I am very calm about this year's race, especially as I've barely had a moment to think about it, and I'm quietly confident that I'll end it out with another top 10 finish to my name. In the name of keeping things simple, I'm setting no other goals.<br /><br />In other news, I'll be heading off to South Africa in November for the race of a lifetime at <a href="http://skyrun.co.za/skyrun/">SkyRun South Africa</a>. Not only is the race taking part in a fantastically remote subrange of the Drakensberg Mountains bordering Lesotho - navigation skills required - but this will be my first ever trip to the African continent and one that will include a host of other non-race-related activities that promise to be equally as fun. This has already been an incredible year for run-travel opportunities, so I really couldn't think of a better capstone to a memorable 2014, my 40th year on this planet.<br /><br />Anyway, to get caught up: <br /><b><i><br /></i></b><b><i>Week Ending April 13</i></b><br /><br />This was Mount Fuji 100 minus three weeks. The plan here was to put in a regular week of training to be concluded with a training race weekend at the Lake Sonoma 50. The week was composed of mainly Horsetooth summits, a 31 minute Towers time trial and otherwise easy mileage.<br /><br />The Lake Sonoma weekend was as fabulous as always, with picture perfect weather, a fun wine tasting the day after the race, and a hugely impressive field of runners to watch perform on race day. My plan going into this one was to pace things at slightly quicker than 100 mile effort, perhaps run at the pointy end of the women's field, test out the UTMF gear set-up, and come out the other end feeling intact and ready to race 100 miles in two weeks time.<br /><br />Ian Sharman and I had exchanged emails leading up to the race and had decided to run the race together as we were both looking for nothing more than a solid long-run workout, but as he was in the port-a-john when the gun went off that never happened. Instead, I found myself running the first half of the race in the small three-runner group of lead women. Emily Harrison was doing most of the running, with Stephanie Howe and Jodee-Adams seemingly content to follow. About 20 miles in, Emily made a decisive move that would be good enough to propel her to the win and course record. Meanwhile, I was happy to keep things steady, take my time at the aid stations and generally enjoy the day.<br /><br />Lingering in the penultimate aid station, with 12 miles left to go, I was a little surprised to have Kaci Lickteig catch up to me, clearly running a well-paced race and forcing me to notch my now-lazy effort a rung or two. The last 10 miles passed by a lot quicker than they have the last two years when I've typically found myself slogging pretty hard to get to the finish. Coming into the quarter mile out and back down to the last aid station, five miles from the finish, we passed Stephanie Howe in second. This clearly lit a fire under Kaci and she was off to the races, while I hung out at the aid station shooting the breeze with the volunteers for a couple of minutes. Heading back out I crossed paths with Ian and he would (finally) catch up to me with a few miles left to the finish. A couple of miles out from the aid we caught back up to Kaci and tried to drag her along to see if we couldn't track down Stephanie. We never did, but it was fun to finish out the race with an up-tempo last couple of miles, and to also keep the Ian &amp; Nick bromance alive by crossing the line as one, ending up in 7:37, good for a mid-teen finish in the overall placings against a fast crop of runners.<br /><br />I got back out to the lake the next day for an hour or so of super easy mileage and felt great, closing out a <b>100 mile week with 20,000'+</b> and feeling like I'd put in just the right effort the day before. I came away from the Sonoma weekend with a good sense of confidence for a strong run in Japan.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FY9PypMgIqo/U43w2BTaoOI/AAAAAAAADtk/0R2k2VqTULM/s1600/NickIanUltrarunning.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FY9PypMgIqo/U43w2BTaoOI/AAAAAAAADtk/0R2k2VqTULM/s1600/NickIanUltrarunning.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The bromance lives on! Pic: Ultrarunning Magazine</td></tr></tbody></table><b><i>Week ending April 20</i></b><br /><br />I typically do a three-week taper before goal 100 mile races, but as UTMF sat right in the middle of the Western States training block, I decided instead to begin a shorter two-week taper after Lake Sonoma. The only goal for this week therefore was to knock out the six remaining Horsetooth summits I needed for 100 on the year before my Saturday flight out to Tokyo. Mileage was right around <b>60 on the week, with something in the vicinity of 10,000 feet of vert</b>.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DxXseAfH8WY/U433OFORTZI/AAAAAAAADuY/PeNscYEQtuM/s1600/photo+2+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DxXseAfH8WY/U433OFORTZI/AAAAAAAADuY/PeNscYEQtuM/s1600/photo+2+(2).JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ziggy gave me a kiss for my 99th summit.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-V6zEFicpop8/U433yhJofSI/AAAAAAAADuw/mc2yOrSj6To/s1600/Horsetooth100-2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-V6zEFicpop8/U433yhJofSI/AAAAAAAADuw/mc2yOrSj6To/s1600/Horsetooth100-2.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5JnuRNHAMi8/U432SCK9uPI/AAAAAAAADt8/Z2D2PqHuYRs/s1600/HorsetoothSake.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5JnuRNHAMi8/U432SCK9uPI/AAAAAAAADt8/Z2D2PqHuYRs/s1600/HorsetoothSake.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Downing Sake at 6:30 am for my 100th Horsetooth of the year. With Celeste, Pete, Slusher, Ryan, Sarah and Emily.</td></tr></tbody></table><b><i>Week Ending April 27</i></b><br /><b><i><br /></i></b>Flew out to Tokyo on the Saturday and arrived on Sunday feeling not too worse for wear. I checked into an economy room I'd booked by the airport, which was a whole lot bigger than I was expecting, and then snuck out for a gentle five miler on some of the Narita back roads. Geez, I even found a little section of trail to roll on for a while. The trip was off to a good start.<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-c3oBQb-iI3A/U437cBmUl2I/AAAAAAAADvY/oGjQ9fmsZ2E/s1600/NaritaTrail.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-c3oBQb-iI3A/U437cBmUl2I/AAAAAAAADvY/oGjQ9fmsZ2E/s1600/NaritaTrail.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trail and greenery in Narita.</td></tr></tbody></table>After another morning jaunt on the Narita loop early Monday, I caught a train into Tokyo to meet up with the incomparable Takashi Fukuchi, Altra's man in Japan. With the help of his wonderful wife, Rae, I would be given the royal treatment for the rest of my stay. Really, as fun as the race itself was, the lasting memories from this trip will come from the wonderful human interactions and generous hospitality that I encountered while in Japan.<br /><br />We stayed a couple of days in Tokyo, visiting a few trail and outdoor store accounts of Takashi's, getting out for the classic Imperial Palace 5k loop, and eating tons of great food. The trail market is clearly thriving in Japan, just as it is in the United States, probably more so when one considers the Japanese love of gear, a love affair that might even rival that of the continental European need for trail-running 'stuff.'<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-P25LQO7867M/U437Yyf64jI/AAAAAAAADvA/uqM_ko-uaaY/s1600/JapanLanterns.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-P25LQO7867M/U437Yyf64jI/AAAAAAAADvA/uqM_ko-uaaY/s1600/JapanLanterns.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qqL-yMpKBrc/U437ZlQyzsI/AAAAAAAADvE/fOvjQ3vHUtM/s1600/PalaceRunningTokyo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qqL-yMpKBrc/U437ZlQyzsI/AAAAAAAADvE/fOvjQ3vHUtM/s1600/PalaceRunningTokyo.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Views from the Imperial Palace 5k loop.</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-G_HVA65C77o/U437aUB21CI/AAAAAAAADvQ/MUtUf6j54og/s1600/OlympusTokyo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-G_HVA65C77o/U437aUB21CI/AAAAAAAADvQ/MUtUf6j54og/s1600/OlympusTokyo.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First pair of Olympus Altras to hit Japan at <a href="http://rb-rg.jp/">Run Boys! Run Girls!</a></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Eb9XievlcKU/U44EBQQr5NI/AAAAAAAADvs/HzofG0Utv0E/s1600/AltraJapan.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Eb9XievlcKU/U44EBQQr5NI/AAAAAAAADvs/HzofG0Utv0E/s1600/AltraJapan.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More Japanese Altras.</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LGJjhF_xf1I/U43ltch_uuI/AAAAAAAADtM/12H5T6HkE8k/s1600/TeamAltraUTMF100.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LGJjhF_xf1I/U43ltch_uuI/AAAAAAAADtM/12H5T6HkE8k/s1600/TeamAltraUTMF100.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Altra crew.</td></tr></tbody></table>Wednesday, we met up with one of the Altra founders, Brian Beckstead and his (very pregnant) wife, Zanna, before taking off for Kawaguchiko and the general Fuji area. I'll save the rest of the Fuji experience for a separate post, but the short and dirty is that the first 70 miles were about as good as they get. However, a bowl of miso soup soon thereafter turned the whole race on its head and I ended up facing a tortured, stomach-turning last 30 miles. Somehow, I still managed to crack the top 10, and ended up being incredibly happy to simply get to the finish and complete the circumnavigation of a truly impressive mountain.<br /><br />With the race and various jogging outings, the week came in at about <b>128 miles w ~30,000'</b> of accumulated gain.<br /><br /><i><b>Week Ending May 4</b></i><br /><i><b><br /></b></i>Flew back to Colorado on the Monday, then took the next few days off despite feeling remarkably unscathed from the 105 miles it took to get around Mount Fuji.<br /><br />I got out Thursday for an early 8 miles with Sarah on the Blue Sky Trail, and while I could definitely feel a good bit of fatigue in the pins, soreness was almost completely lacking. Nonetheless, I capped the run at 8 miles rather than the originally intended 10.<br /><br />Friday, Saturday &amp; Sunday, I got out and bagged Horsetooth summits (101, 102, 103), with runs of between 6 and 10 miles. Total running on the week was <b>31 miles w/ 6,000'</b> of vert. <br /><br /><i><b>Week Ending May 11</b></i><br /><i><b><br /></b></i>Despite feeling like I got out of Japan in pretty good physical shape, I decided to keep to the game plan of taking two weeks of significantly reduced mileage to aid the recovery process. Maintaining discipline here was aided significantly by the fact that I had a 50 mile race to pull off that weekend.<br /><br />The week consisted of two Horsetooth summits (105) and the course-marking process which began Wednesday in a hailstorm and ended Friday afternoon with JoeGFM on a casual Horsetooth loop to take care of the loose ends on the heavily trafficked trails near the main trailhead. Saturday and Sunday I didn't run a step.<br /><br />As always, it was extremely gratifying to put on the Quad Rock Trail Races. This year, we catered to over 360 starters and enjoyed our typical mixed May conditions of sun, cloud and rain. All in all, Pete and I were happy with how the day unfolded, and judging from the post-race survey we conducted it seems that most of our runners were too. We'll be sharing the results of the survey here in the near future once we've (well, once Gary David has) been able to convert the raw data to a digest'able report. In the meantime, we've got a post-race wrap of the day on the race website <a href="http://gnarrunners.com/2014/05/quad-rock-2014-post-race-wrap/">here</a>.<br /><br />Total on the week was <b>40 miles w/9,000' vert.&nbsp;</b><br /><b><br /></b>Stay tuned for more gripping catch up reporting and maybe even a race report or two.http://irunmountains.blogspot.com/2014/06/five-weeks-ending-may-11.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nick)9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241238297532213032.post-2857073767230586402Thu, 22 May 2014 14:41:00 +00002014-05-22T07:41:39.195-07:00training logWeek Ending April 6<b>Monday - noon: 7 miles (1,800') easy</b>. Bumped into Danny at the TH and ran to the summit with him. Took a really hard digger 100 yards from the parking lot on the way back down, picking up some impressive-looking trail rash in the process.<br /><b>PM: 5 miles (1,500') easy</b>. Snuck out for an early evening summit. Got bit in the butt by a rabid-looking dog right at about the same spot that I took the earlier digger. Ho hum. Saw genuine fear in the eyes of the dog owners as I let them know exactly how I felt about being bitten by their dog. Mad Englishman. "Oh, he gets nervous around runners!" Really? Then get him on a proper leash.<br /><br /><b>Tuesday - AM: 10 miles intervals</b>. Workout was 5 x mile (steady, fartlek, steady, fartlek, steady w/fartleks clockwise). Really, really didn't want to do the workout this morning, but forced myself out the door and down the hill for an extended warmup at City Park. My legs were still a bit sore and fatigued from the weekend, so I knew this was gonna be a grind, but you still got to get 'em done. Ran with Chris Mc for all of these and struggled through: 5:26, 5:30, 5:19, 5:33, 5:22.<br /><b>PM: 5 miles (1,500') easy</b>. Total wobble-fest getting up and down the hill this evening.<br /><br /><b>Weds - Noon: 7 miles (1,800') easy</b>. I woke up feeling a little dinged, so bailed on a planned morning run with Danny. Got out for a super gentle run up the hill at lunch, hiking in spots, and then eased down carefully too.<br /><b>PM: 5 miles (1,500') easy</b>. A few hours later and I felt like a runner again, literally bounding up to the summit.<br /><br /><b>Thursday - PM: 7 miles (1,800') easy</b>. Long day at the office desk, so wasn't able to do much until late in the day. Took things nice and easy, despite feeling bad about missing my usual Thursday morning tempo session. Feeling just a little fragile in various spots right now, so I need to be careful.<br /><br /><b>Friday - AM: 11 miles (3,200') easy</b>. Met up with the Dentist at the upper Horsetooth lot for a double summit (86 &amp; 87). Beautiful weather, good company and quiet niggles made for a most pleasurable run.<br /><br /><b>Sat - AM: 26.5 miles (5,900')</b>. Quad Rock preview run (88). Had a good 50 or so runners turn out for this one, which was great. Ran at a comfortable effort with Ryan Smith and Mike Oliva all morning, with a slight pick-up on the Timer descent. Fun times.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-t0-xwAp0GA4/U34G2Z0gdnI/AAAAAAAADsc/JsH6Qn_M7Ko/s1600/Nick,+Ryan,+Mike.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-t0-xwAp0GA4/U34G2Z0gdnI/AAAAAAAADsc/JsH6Qn_M7Ko/s1600/Nick,+Ryan,+Mike.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Top Arthurs, with Mike and Ryan</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wYTbxq06XDg/U34G3RjfLrI/AAAAAAAADsg/4J72PmHRBg8/s1600/EricLeeFags.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wYTbxq06XDg/U34G3RjfLrI/AAAAAAAADsg/4J72PmHRBg8/s1600/EricLeeFags.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eric with a pack of Marlboros tucked into his hat, just in case he ran out of gels.&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lNchmvHM6GY/U34G4Zjh8XI/AAAAAAAADss/QHKso-kNrOE/s1600/QRTrainingRun2014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lNchmvHM6GY/U34G4Zjh8XI/AAAAAAAADss/QHKso-kNrOE/s1600/QRTrainingRun2014.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Opening miles on the Lory Service Road.</td></tr></tbody></table><b>Sun - AM: 7.5 miles easy</b> setting up the last <a href="http://fortcollinsrunningclub.org/tortoise-hare/">Tortoise and Hare</a> course of the season.<br /><b style="text-align: center;"><br /></b><b style="text-align: center;">Total: 91 miles (19,000') &nbsp;</b><br /><span style="text-align: center;"><br />Okay, so this is a weekly recap from eons ago, but it was sitting here on the drafts page of my blog waiting to be published, so I figured I'd send it out there and then see about getting this website caught up a bit over the coming days.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span><span style="text-align: center;">It's been a very busy last few weeks, with a trip to Japan, a <a href="http://gnarrunners.com/2014/05/quad-rock-2014-post-race-wrap/">50 mile RD'ing gig</a>, a heavy 9-5 workload and then the usual madness of being a parent and husband. Japan and RD'ing are now in the rearview mirror, so I guess I've got a bit more time to get caught up. &nbsp;</span><br /><span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span><span style="text-align: center;">This recap is from three weeks prior to UTMF100. I plan on putting together a report from that amazing trip (along with a Sonoma 50 recap) in the next couple of days. The race wasn't quite what I was hoping for, but the trip itself was off the charts thanks in large part to my amazing hosts, Takashi and Rae Fukuchi.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-T9q1GmGl4i0/U34LtDPS92I/AAAAAAAADs0/nl0pho1ZSZU/s1600/TeamAltraUTMF100.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-T9q1GmGl4i0/U34LtDPS92I/AAAAAAAADs0/nl0pho1ZSZU/s1600/TeamAltraUTMF100.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Team Altra in Japan.&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="text-align: center;">Not many weeks until Western States 100. Time to get in shape. &nbsp;</span><br /><b style="text-align: center;"><br /></b><b style="text-align: center;"><br /></b><b style="text-align: center;"><br /></b>http://irunmountains.blogspot.com/2014/05/week-ending-april-6.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nick)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241238297532213032.post-5553736898399978014Tue, 01 Apr 2014 20:37:00 +00002014-04-01T13:44:14.798-07:00Round Mountaintraining logWeek Ending March 30 <b>Monday - 7 miles (1,800') easy</b>. I didn't have a chance to get out until late in the day, but wasn't much feeling like running after the big weekend anyway, so the extra rest was welcomed. Felt decent enough once on the hill, just a bit sluggish. Had a nice chat with Stephen Myers, editor of the Coloradoan's Xplore section, on the summit. On the way to the park, I was bitten on the (gloved) finger by a (leashed) neighborhood dog. Fortunately, there was no harm done (no blood drawn), but it certainly shocked me. On the way out of the park, it was all one owner could do to keep her massive hound from attacking me. Ah, yes, the joys of spring.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-K8JH6IBnkO8/Uzmp98-JlBI/AAAAAAAADp8/8IhnPCh0h3A/s1600/MarchMileageMadness2014.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-K8JH6IBnkO8/Uzmp98-JlBI/AAAAAAAADp8/8IhnPCh0h3A/s1600/MarchMileageMadness2014.jpeg" height="239" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coming off Towers on the Stout Trail last Sunday at March Mileage Madness. &nbsp;Photo: <a href="http://www.gorunpure.com/">Josh Arthur</a>.</td></tr></tbody></table><b>Tuesday - AM: 9.5 miles intervals</b>. On the docket at the cemetery for the morning was: mile, 800, 800, mile, 800, 800, 1.5 mile lamppost fartlek (at ~5k, HM); all on 2-3 min rest. Had a good pack to work with this morning: McCullough, Garcia and Luke. Eased in over the first mile and a half, then Garcia started pushing the pace: 5:58, 2:45, 2:39, 5:16, 2:39, 2:39, 8:17 (5:32, 2:45). The legs were still a little sluggish from the big weekend mileage/vertical, but they responded when asked. I consciously pushed the second half of each rep this morning to work on that non-existent kick of mine, as I'm almost certain that Western States is going to come down to the last 300 meters this year.<br /><b>PM: 7 miles (1,800') super easy</b>. Kinda wobbled up the hill late in the afternoon. Definitely tired from the morning session - some lingering fatigue from the weekend in there too. Need to be careful.<br /><br /><b>Wednesday - Noon: 7 miles (1,800') easy</b>. Nice easy jog up Horsetooth. It was warm out, but I still layered up to get a good sweat going, help loosen the muscles and begin preparing for the summer race season.<br /><b>PM: 5 miles (1,000') easy</b>. Ran an easy Falls loop at the park. Dog trouble again. Got nipped by a yappy rat-sized dog on a long leash right by the turn-off for the falls. Owner was mortified. I swore profusely. This is turning out to be a bad dog week.<br /><br /><b>Thurs - Noon: 5 miles (1,500') easy</b>. Short loop on Horsetooth (76). Kept things super easy to save something for a harder run at Towers in the evening.<br /><b>PM: 9.5 miles (2,000') hard hill effort. </b>I'm not really sure why, but the thought of running hard on Towers fills me with dread these days. There was a time when I was hammering on the hill all summer long, dropping sub-30s with ease. I guess it's because I've done it so many times now that I'm intimately familiar with the pain involved. I was back and forth all day on how much of an effort I was willing to put forth, so I figured I'd see how things felt once I was off and running. Warmed up with a couple miles on the Valley Trails with Burch, then got after it, easing in on Swan Johnson (3:00 to the turn). Things felt okay, so I kept on the gas at perhaps 90%, and was surprised to see my Stout split pop within range of reasonably fast, so I committed to staying at effort for the rest of the run. Herrington (2) came in at 16:5x, which again is about 20 seconds off PR pace. I started feeling a good burn in the second half and rather than double down to squeeze the extra seconds out, I committed to just remaining steady. Finished up with 30:07 at the top, which, while 47 seconds off my PR, was pleasing for the effort output. Would have been a nice confidence boost to dip under 30 - it's been a while - but it would have been there easily with a little extra push.<br /><br /><b>Friday - 7 miles (1,800') easy</b>. Kept it at one run today, and an easy one at that. Felt good enough, but wanted to rest up for the weekend.<br /><br /><b>Saturday - 29 miles (9,500') long</b>. Round Mountain Ladder. Fun morning on the mountain today for the fourth year in a row doing this workout, an out and back from each mile marker up the mountain with a final summit run to finish it off. We had a good crowd working up and down the hill all morning, something that always helps with the motivation. Josh Arthur was back up in the Fort - clearly no talent to run with in Boulder - so I ran with him for most of the workout.<br /><br />The goal with this workout is to start out conservatively and try to run every uphill mile segment quicker than the previous one (first mile gets run five times), so a ratchet of pace that you have to temper against increasing fatigue levels, finishing with a final summit push - after 20 miles &amp; 6,500' of vert - into which you essentially pour all remaining strength and motivation in a bid to hit the fastest mile splits of the day. I find this workout to be an excellent simulator of race pacing.<br /><br />The morning air was perfect and we got lucky with mainly overcast skies, so the conditions were primo. My legs didn't feel too peppy at all throughout the morning, but they were steady enough to get through the run. The first four rungs on the ladder went quickly and the splits were on point. For the summit leg - about 4.75 miles with 3,000' of climbing - the first mile went out pretty hard, leaving my legs pretty wobbly for the second mile. Josh was off to the races, so I just focused on settling back in and grinding up the hill at an effort that would take me to the top sustainably. I missed the second mile split by 13 seconds breaking up the perfect game, but was able to rally for the remainder, passing Josh 100 meters from the summit. The summit run came in at 54:25, which is three minutes faster than three years ago, 7 or 8 minutes quicker than last year when I fell to pieces in the heat, and four minutes of my PR for Round Mountain. Total time on the hill was 5:22, with 5:11 moving.<br /><br />Mile 1..12:34..11:32..11:06..10:35..10:06<br />Mile 2............13:01..12:24..11:45..11:58<br />Mile 3......................11:59..11:20..11:09<br />Mile 4................................12:19..11:38<br />Summit........................................09:33<br /><br />Summit Run.................................54:25<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--1q4gv7fitQ/Uzl1QM85CvI/AAAAAAAADps/qYYxeG3C4sI/s1600/RoundLadder2014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--1q4gv7fitQ/Uzl1QM85CvI/AAAAAAAADps/qYYxeG3C4sI/s1600/RoundLadder2014.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coming down off lap one with Josh and Hinterberg. Photo: Eric Lee</td></tr></tbody></table><b>Sunday - 13 miles (3,600') easy. </b>Out with Hinterberg and Ostrom for an easy couple of hours at Horsetooth, with a double summit bag (78 &amp; 79). Not much from the legs on the uphill and a bit of soreness in the quads on the downhill. Easy, easy.<br /><br /><b>Total: 99 miles (24,800')</b><br /><b><br /></b>Another solid week in the books. Good workout Tuesday morning on tired legs, a solid run up Towers Thursday and a generally strong morning of vertical on Saturday. Pieces are coming together nicely. One more week of mileage before I begin a very gradual taper for UTMF100, with a last long run two weeks before at the Lake Sonoma 50.<br /><br />In addition to two dog bites this past week, I picked up another one yesterday (Monday) right at the first turn on the trail from the upper Horsetooth parking lot and right on the soft tissue under my butt. I've never been bitten by a dog before, so I guess I'm making up for lost time. I used to be very casual and friendly towards dogs in the park, but I find myself shying away from them now (once bitten, twice shy?) Dogs of course pick up on that fear to the point that I have apparently become a moving target in the park. Curiously, each incident these past few days has involved a dog on a leash (but always on a fully extended stretch leash), so owners have been obeying park regulations. Whether or not that means I have a right to bitch I don't know, but it's really not much fun being bitten by dogs or having fangs aggressively exposed in your general direction while running by.<br /><br />In other news, I have noticed a considerable uptick in the number of plastic bags filled with dog poo sitting by the side of the trail. Being a regular park user, I can usually give an approximation for the number of days/weeks particular bags have been sitting there.<br /><br />End rant.<br /><br />http://irunmountains.blogspot.com/2014/04/week-ending-march-30.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nick)9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241238297532213032.post-1052105423542139913Tue, 25 Mar 2014 03:22:00 +00002014-03-24T20:44:44.371-07:00training logWeek Ending March 23<b>Mon - AM: 7 miles (1,800') easy</b>. I felt surprisingly spry and unscathed from S<a href="http://irunmountains.blogspot.com/2014/03/salida-marathon-2014.html">aturday's racing action</a>, so enjoyed a springy jaunt up the mountain.<br /><b>PM: 7 miles (1,800') easy</b>. Retraced my steps from the morning. Found myself on the summit without remembering how I got there. I love how the miles melt on familiar terrain when you're lost in thought.<br /><br /><b>Tues - AM: 10 miles intervals</b>. The winds were absolutely screaming when I woke up this morning, which made the prospect of trying to run fast at City Park seem somewhat ridiculous, but it's almost April and every workout counts now. Not surprisingly, there were just a handful in attendance at the appointed hour. But any and all company was appreciated. On the docket for this morning was: mile, broken 1.5 mile (3 x 800 on 15 second cruise between 8s), mile, broken 1.5, mile. &nbsp;Still in the recovery period from Salida and with the troublesome spring winds, I didn't want to force the issue, so largely ran these at a comfortable tempo-type effort: 5:50, 2:53, 2:52, 2:51, 5:34, 2:51, 2:49, 2:45, 5:22.<br /><b>PM: 7 miles (1,800') easy</b>. Got out late in the day for another lap to the top of Horsetooth (66). The winds had subsided a bit, but were still gusting substantially on top.<br /><br /><b>Weds - Noon: 7 miles (1,800') easy</b>. My right knee felt a little awkward (read: it hurt) after yesterday's workout/Saturday's race, so I laced up&nbsp;my new <a href="http://www.altrarunning.com/fitness/en/Altra/Men/olympus-men">Altra Olympus</a> kicks for today's run. The Olympus is Altra's newly released offering in the maximal shoe department and - as promised - the shoes deliver serious cushioning. Not sure I'd race these aggressively on technical trail, but boy oh boy do they help take the load off aching joints for the day-to-day outings. With it being a gorgeous day in the middle of spring break, it was no great surprise to see the park packed, so I went up via Southridge/Audra, which is reliably the least crowded way up the mountain. I think my neighbors got the memo too, as I saw no less than three friendly faces (five if you count dogs) from the 'hood. Just two short patches of snow left. SPRING.<br /><br /><b>Thurs - AM: 7 miles (1,800') steady</b>. I bailed late Wednesday night on meeting the group for the usual Thursday AM tempo session down on Centennial. Ostensibly, I bailed because I didn't want to push things with my knee, but I think I was just using that as an excuse to grab some extra zeds and avoid visiting the pain cave so early in the morning. Of course, I woke up, laced my sneaks and the knee felt great with the mega-Olympus cush. Guilt ridden, I made myself work the hill. I don't usually like to do workouts on Horsetooth; it's the place I go to jog and reflect, so panting up the hill always feels a little awkward. Nonetheless, it felt great this morning to inject a little effort into my daily routine, get to the summit in a jiffy and then get on with things for the rest of the day. Maybe I'll give my Horsetooth PR a run one of these days; it's been a couple of years since I put a truly hard effort in on the hill.<br /><b>PM (1): 5 miles (1,500') easy</b>. Parked at the Horsetooth TH and jogged a nice casual summit lap before heading into town to run the Fort Collins Trail Runner social at Pineridge. Legs felt great and the weather was beautiful. So good.<br /><b>PM (2): 5 miles easy</b>. A nice trundle with friends at Pineridge. Been a while since I've done this one.<br /><br /><b>Friday - 7 miles (1,800') easy</b>. Horsetooth (70) summit. A crisp, but sunny morning jog with Danny. The pins were a little tired to get going but warmed up nicely by the time we were halfway up the hill. Bumped into Josh Holer at the top and ran back down with him.<br /><b>PM: 5 miles (1,500') easy</b>. Horsetooth up and down at a super casual effort. Snow's supposed to fly tonight. Didn't much feel it in the air. I'm guessing no.<br /><br /><b>Saturday - 20 miles (5,000') easy</b>. 3:20. Did the classic Horsetooth (71) - Arthurs loop with <a href="http://www.gorunpure.com/">Josh</a>, Jason and <a href="http://ryanwburch.blogspot.com/">Burch</a>. I was wrong about the snow, it was coming down the whole time we were out; nothing crazy but there was an inch or two on the ground by the time we were done, making things a little slippery in places. Went: Southridge, Rock, Summit, Westridge, Secret, Mill Creek, Howard, Summit, Arthurs, Valley, Sawmill, Herrington, Spring Creek, Falls, Reaper. We kept things light and easy the whole way around to make sure we were saving something for the big Sunday serving.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kBMOLKG9VVw/Uy3a9r2fa4I/AAAAAAAADn8/_U8_OiI9CkU/s1600/photo+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kBMOLKG9VVw/Uy3a9r2fa4I/AAAAAAAADn8/_U8_OiI9CkU/s1600/photo+2.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Summit 1: Horsetooth</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TtiTVowvE-s/Uy3a6HDEhhI/AAAAAAAADn0/fN0oS-I9RwA/s1600/photo+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TtiTVowvE-s/Uy3a6HDEhhI/AAAAAAAADn0/fN0oS-I9RwA/s1600/photo+1.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Summit 2: Arthurs. Clark, J. Arthur, Burch, Ostram.</td></tr></tbody></table><b>PM: 2 mile hike (600')</b> with the kiddos down to the waterfall. Stella made it pretty much the whole way there and back. Next goal: Horsetooth summit.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Tafyl1jSxmI/UzDdWMWSc5I/AAAAAAAADow/omf5AVbbU1I/s1600/photo+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Tafyl1jSxmI/UzDdWMWSc5I/AAAAAAAADow/omf5AVbbU1I/s1600/photo+3.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eFzuQCb54Qo/UzDdaOuQI0I/AAAAAAAADo4/7qbaqFpHUNc/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eFzuQCb54Qo/UzDdaOuQI0I/AAAAAAAADo4/7qbaqFpHUNc/s1600/photo.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><b>Sunday - 37 miles (6,900') long</b>. 5:52. Out with the same crew as Saturday for the fourth rendition of <a href="http://pineridgerunner.blogspot.com/">Alex May</a>'s (of <a href="http://pineridgerunner.blogspot.com/2013/07/my-western-states-story-on-podcast.html">30:01:31 </a>Western States fame) March Mileage Madness run, a circumnavigation of Horsetooth Reservoir in celebration of spring. Last year we were nipple deep in snow on top of Horsetooth Mountain; this year we didn't have much more than a couple of inches, but it was consistent through the hills, giving way to slop down low. We started out at an easy effort and kept it in gear the whole way round. The route took in both Horsetooth and Arthur's summits, taking the perimeter trails around the park on the west side of the reservoir. Really pleased with how good my legs felt the whole way around, especially on the tail end of a big week and building off a strong race at Salida the weekend prior. Finished things off with a nice pick up in pace over the last five or six miles on Shoreline, Centennial and Pineridge. Josh took a hard digger with a mile to go (on the least technical section of trail covered all morning), so we shut things down there and jogged it in back to Alex's for beers, burgers and banter.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6BWDSo07_jk/UzDdRNBzrPI/AAAAAAAADoo/_VPyfQXr6Ak/s1600/photo+1+(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6BWDSo07_jk/UzDdRNBzrPI/AAAAAAAADoo/_VPyfQXr6Ak/s1600/photo+1+(1).JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ostram picking up his Arthurs summit, 20 miles into the morning.</td></tr></tbody></table><b>Total: 126 miles (26,300')</b><br /><b><br /></b>Big week and big weekend in the books. Big-boy pants are officially on. With just five weeks until the UTMF 100 in Japan, I'm starting to feel like I may just be rounding into something approaching 100-mile shape. Unfortunately, I am going to have to sacrifice running hard at Lake Sonoma in three weeks, and run it - rather lamely - as a 'training race/run.' Lucky for me though, I still have the okay to head out to Healdsburg to enjoy one of the best trail racing weekends on the domestic calendar. I've taken a few notes out of Tropical John's playbook when it comes to putting on my own races. Hint: a well-marked course on awesome trails with good post-race food and ample, tasty adult beverages go a long way to making runners happy.<br /><br />Speaking of which, we are now down to less than 30 spots remaining for Quad Rock. We're super excited to be hosting 350 runners, our biggest field yet, with stellar fields in both the men's and the women's races. Check out the fields <a href="http://ultrasignup.com/entrants_event.aspx?did=26138">here</a>, and get signed up sooner rather than later. With the final price increase due to go into effect at the end of the month, we expect to be sold out within the next week.<br /><br />And, hey, if you're thinking about trail racing action for late summer, then registration for the always popular Blue Sky Marathon and Black Squirrel Half go live April 1. Click the links on the top right of the sidebar for info on those. Register for both - the Black and Blue Double - for just $99. Best racing deal in town, and hey, we don't cut corners.<br /><br />You might also notice a new sponsor logo up there on the sidebar. Yup, I'm honored and excited to be representing <a href="http://www.altrarunning.com/">Altra ZeroDrop</a> footwear for the 2014 season. Raced in the Lone Peaks at Salida and have been pounding out long mileage in the new Olympus maximal-style shoes for the last couple of weeks. The Olympus have reportedly been flying off the shelves since their launch this month, so get 'em while you can! My knees thank me every time I slip them on.<br /><br />And finally, if you made it this far and just can't get enough of my drivel, then go listen to even more over at <a href="http://ultrarunnerpodcast.com/nick-clark-interview/">Ultrarunner Podcast</a>.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-akfAaqhV-Tw/UzDxsho9zGI/AAAAAAAADpc/7VpWU47KciI/s1600/A1355_BlackOrange.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-akfAaqhV-Tw/UzDxsho9zGI/AAAAAAAADpc/7VpWU47KciI/s1600/A1355_BlackOrange.jpg" height="190" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The uber-popular Altra Olympus. Flying off the shelves right now.&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table>http://irunmountains.blogspot.com/2014/03/week-ending-march-23.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nick)11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241238297532213032.post-4835471186745341753Fri, 21 Mar 2014 17:13:00 +00002014-03-21T10:50:13.059-07:00Race ReportSalida Marathon 2014It's a short three-hour drive from Fort Collins to Salida, a trip that takes driver and passenger through classic Colorado country, and one that never gets old. You roll up through the Denver foothill towns of Conifer and Bailey, give a nod to the somewhat incongruous hillside Jesus statue at Camp Santa Maria as you make your way up to Kenosha Pass, before crossing the Colorado Trail and dropping into the high and huge South Park Basin, which encompasses a massive 1,000 square feet all at approximately 10,000 feet above sea level.<br /><br />It's a harsh environment and this year the snow fences to the west of Highway 285 are completely buried, a sure sign that it has been a cold and wet winter in the Colorado Rockies. But the highlight of the drive for me is always the drop out of South Park into the Arkansas Valley, which is punctuated by the massive Collegiate Peaks of the southern Sawatch range.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KnUwdqNyXas/UyxvVONIirI/AAAAAAAADm8/z9LKcC2x1as/s1600/campsantamaria_1371168951989_429406_ver1.0_640_480.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KnUwdqNyXas/UyxvVONIirI/AAAAAAAADm8/z9LKcC2x1as/s1600/campsantamaria_1371168951989_429406_ver1.0_640_480.jpeg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Camp Santa Maria.</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6F4UIXFOtMo/UykUf0SzJzI/AAAAAAAADmQ/VwNMvt664CU/s1600/IMG_9387.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6F4UIXFOtMo/UykUf0SzJzI/AAAAAAAADmQ/VwNMvt664CU/s1600/IMG_9387.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view of the Collegiate Peaks is far better when unobstructed.&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table>The Arkansas Valley has its own dry and remarkably warm microclimate. It is often referred to as the Banana Belt of Colorado. The rolling hillsides covered in scrubby pinon and juniper for some reason remind me of childhood summer vacations to Forna, a small village just inland from the Mediterranean coast near Valencia, Spain. An old Moorish castle sits above the village on a hill covered in similarly scrubby vegetation. The trek up to visit the castle would always be a highlight of those trips.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ajbdrb6g96I/UyxjZVnY0nI/AAAAAAAADmk/U4ULURsigEY/s1600/Forna+Castle.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ajbdrb6g96I/UyxjZVnY0nI/AAAAAAAADmk/U4ULURsigEY/s1600/Forna+Castle.jpeg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Forna Castle.&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table>So anyway, it's always good to be back in Salida enjoying what fees like a late winter mini vacation.<br /><br />The family couldn't make it out this year, so I opt for the budget-friendly pad in the back of the Xterra for the weekend's accommodations. As I make my way to Safeway for donuts and coffee early on race-day morning I bump into Joe GFM, who'd be dwelling a few alleys down from me that night, and we catch up with one another's goings on before heading down to the rail yards under clear, but slightly parky skies.<br /><br />Paul Hamilton was a name on the start list that I was looking forward to racing, so I was slightly disappointed not to see him on the line as we got underway. I'd figured he'd be in contention and would help push the pace along, but as it turned out it would be just me and Josh Arthur off the front once we started climbing.<br /><br />The first two miles at Salida are always a fun time. It's a casual two mile loop to and from the start to space the race out before hitting singletrack. The banter is always good and offers a chance to catch up with folk that you haven't seen all winter. Timmy Parr, a regular and multi-time winner of the race, has moved to Leadville I learn. It's been a tough winter up there at 10,000 feet and he talks of having not much more than the roads around the Fish Hatchery to run on.<br /><br />After the warm-up lap, I decide that I'm going to go about setting the pace up the switchbacks that lead to the wonderful snaking, rocky contour trail of the new course. I want to avoid the slow start of last year so I can run an honest marathon effort the whole way around. Once we get up to elevation, I'm surprised that it's just me and Josh. The pace feels right, nothing crazy. We shoot the shit for a bit, chat about Altra Zero Drop, both of us now sponsored by the aggressive start-up out of Salt Lake, before slotting into a good rhythm that we'll hold for the rest of the race.<br /><br />We spit out onto the Ute Trail at a little under 59 minutes, but neither of us can remember what the split was from last year. I'm pretty sure we're ahead of it as we find our stride up the railroad-graded dirt track. This is always a tough section of the race. The grade is fairly mellow at about 300 feet per mile, but given the awesome footing you really have to stay on the gas to make the most of it. If you hit it too hard though your back 13 miles is going to be miserable.<br /><br />Josh and I run stride for stride the whole way up to the turnaround at 9,000 feet (1:34), dropping off our bottles at the aid station along the way and getting them back refilled on our way back down. As we make the turn onto the rugged jeep track section of the back half of the course, we quickly realize that conditions are improved versus last year. There isn't a great deal of snow on the ground and a set of tire tracks has packed things down decently where there is. We have to negotiate some ice and tricky cut up snowy sections along the way, but it doesn't cost us a lot of time.<br /><br />Again, we stay stride for stride as we make our way back to town, both seemingly comfortable at the pace we're setting. We alternate in the lead, until finally with perhaps eight miles to go and a half mile before the precipitous descent to the mile 20 aid station, I decide to push the pace along just a little harder. I don't look back until the aid, and am massively surprised not to see Josh. I think I've done enough in those couple of miles to seal the win and settle into a significantly easier rhythm. That, as it turns out, is a big mistake. A mile later, on the switchbacks up the final climb of the race, as we start to pass half marathoners I am shocked to look back and make direct eye contact with Josh.<br /><br />By the top of the climb, Josh is back on me, and I'm starting to feel beginner cramps in my hamstrings. A mile later and I'm surprised that Josh hasn't gone by me yet, as I know the pace isn't what it was just four or five miles ago, but he seems content to settle in. The half marathon traffic is pretty thick at this point and there's a lot of weaving going on. I figure Josh will wait until we spit out onto the doubletrack four miles from the finish to make his move. I'm right. But I've still got a little something left in the tank.<br /><br />Once Josh assumes the lead, the pace is all of a sudden at the top of end of what I'm still able to push out, but I can still hang. However, on the last mile of the descent down to the rail yards, Josh is able to get a slight gap that I can't quite cover. With a half mile to go, he has maybe 10 seconds on me. We're now on the flats and running into a strong headwind for these last few meters and I can sense that Josh is starting to tie up, so I hit the gas for one last push, cutting the gap in half but ultimately running out of real estate.<br /><br />I look at my watch and I see a new PR in the digits. This, in my 40th year and sixth time running the race, is something of a surprise. But a welcome one.<br /><br />The post-race scene is as fun as always. Bill Dooper has enjoyed spectating the race, getting to all the aid stations along the way, and he is full of his usual banter. He tells me that it's mine or Dylan's year at Western States in 2014. I nod. Yeah maybe. I'm as fit as I've ever been at this stage of the game, so why the hell not?<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KA5_3-df9SA/UyxtxhEdehI/AAAAAAAADm0/UoyBCJdGTek/s1600/SalidaHaul.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KA5_3-df9SA/UyxtxhEdehI/AAAAAAAADm0/UoyBCJdGTek/s1600/SalidaHaul.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Six Years, Six Podiums. Artwork by race RD Jon McManus.</td></tr></tbody></table><a href="http://www.salidarec.com/ccrc/results/2014-Run-Through-Time-Marathon-Results.pdf">Results</a>.http://irunmountains.blogspot.com/2014/03/salida-marathon-2014.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nick)13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241238297532213032.post-2420475480470413025Wed, 19 Mar 2014 04:33:00 +00002014-03-19T08:39:39.968-07:00training logWeek Ending March 16<b>Mon - Noon: 7 miles (1,800') easy</b>. Ran up Horsetooth with Danny on a pair of pins that felt super spry. Gliding.<br /><b>PM: 4 miles easy</b>. Jogged for half an hour on the Mason Trail while Alistair was at soccer practice.<br /><br /><b>Tues - 10.5 miles intervals</b>. With the Salida Marathon coming up on the weekend, I kept this one light. Workout was: mile, 800, 800, mile, 800, 800, 2 mile. Splits: 6:18, 2:54, 2:50, 5:57, 2:57, 2:50, 11:58. Had planned on getting out for a bit of a jog in the afternoon, but the weather was so cataclysmic I didn't force the issue.<br /><br /><b>Weds - 7 miles (1,800') easy</b>. Jogged out a casual Horsetooth summit on my lunch break.<br /><b>PM: 6.5 miles (800') easy</b>. Snuck out for a twilight spin on the Milner Mtn loop, enjoying the killer south-side views of Horsetooth; perhaps my favorite vantage point.<br /><br /><b>Thurs - AM: 7 miles (1,800') easy</b>. Jogged a super easy Horsetooth summit in place of my usual Thursday AM tempo session in a continued bid to give the legs a break before Salida.<br /><b>PM: 8 miles (1,800') easy</b>. Pushed out an easy effort up Towers in 34:30, which was surprisingly fast given the distinct lack of effort. Always a good sign. This was the first daylight Towers TT of the year, which brought out a solid 25+ runners.<br /><br /><b>Fri - AM: 7 miles (1,800') easy</b>. Super easy Horsetooth summit with Danny before heading out to Salida in the afternoon.<br /><br /><b>Sat - AM: 28 miles (3,800') race</b>. Salida Marathon in 3:06. This was my sixth running of the Salida Trail Marathon, on the slowest iteration of the course, and low and behold I managed to pick up a PR. Ran pretty much in lockstep with Josh Arthur the whole way round, which was probably the main reason I was able to stay solidly on the gas for the duration. Gave up the win in the last mile, being out-kicked by five seconds, but hey, a PR at the age of 39. Yeah, I'm not complaining.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6F4UIXFOtMo/UykUf0SzJzI/AAAAAAAADmM/cPvKsVz5Jag/s1600/IMG_9387.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6F4UIXFOtMo/UykUf0SzJzI/AAAAAAAADmM/cPvKsVz5Jag/s1600/IMG_9387.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Collegiate Peaks money shot across the Arkansas Valley.&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table><b>Sun - 6.5 miles (1,500') easy</b>. Jogged a few super light miles with Abby on the Columbine/Rainbow trails under Methodist Mountain at the northernmost terminus of the 250-mile Sangre de Cristo Mountain Range. I was nursing a pretty serious hangover, but the gorgeous weather and mellow pace helped soothe matters.<br /><br /><b>Total: 91.5 miles (15,100')</b><br /><b><br /></b>Kind of a balancing act this week. I wanted to keep on the mileage while also giving my legs a bit of a rest before heading out to Salida to race, so I basically bagged the workouts for the week. Unfortunately Sunday was a bust due to an overzealous Saturday night, so I didn't quite hit the triple digits I wanted, but I think I'm big enough and wise enough now not to sweat such trivialities. Three years ago I would have made sure to find the extra 8.5 miles.<br /><br />The race itself turned out to be a two-man affair and while it was moderately disappointing to not pick up the win, running a 90 second PR on my sixth crack at the course has to be considered a win. If nothing else it is a result that has given me a renewed sense of purpose with my training heading into the spring. Despite the fact that I'll be racing as a master come June, I still believe that I've got the tools - on the right day - to bring home that damn Western States Cougar. Rule number one: you've got to believe.http://irunmountains.blogspot.com/2014/03/week-ending-march.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nick)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241238297532213032.post-1643504264756638432Mon, 10 Mar 2014 15:25:00 +00002014-03-10T08:25:25.907-07:00training logWeek Ending March 9<b>Mon - AM: 7 miles (1,800') easy</b>. Markedly different conditions than the freeze of the previous two weekend days for this jaunt up the mountain. I was sweating buckets in my tights, even in the early dawn and at my usual trundle. There was still a good crunch of snow on the ground, but it was packed in enough that the ice underneath wasn't a factor. Every day I can get out on the mountain is a good one, but I'm enjoying the warmer ones just a little bit more these days.<br /><b>PM: 4.5 miles (1,500') easy</b>. Snuck in a quick lunchtime Horsetooth summit (50) to gather some inspiration for a talk I was giving later in the day for an <a href="http://sosoutreach.org/">SOS Outreach</a> session.<br /><br /><b>Tues - AM: 9.5 miles intervals</b>. On the docket at the cemetery for the morning was: mile, 2 x broken 1.5 mile (3x800 w/15 second cruise between each 800), mile. All on 4-5 min stationary rest between reps. Perfect morning with temps in the high 20s and a snow-free trail to run on: 5:28, 8:16 (2:47, 2:46, 2:43), 8:16 (2:48, 2:44, 2:44), 5:15. Cruised the 8s for the most part, then gave McCullough 15 seconds on the last mile to see if I could squeeze a little extra effort out of myself by chasing. Did the hard work through the first 1,200, getting on Chris's shoulder, then got kicked down as usual over the last 400. Good morning. <br /><b>PM: 7 miles (1,800') easy</b>. Timed this one terribly, getting out just as the rain/sleet/snow started coming down. Rain turned to mush halfway up the mountain, then fluffy snow by the summit. Climbed up the north gap despite the wet, then got off the summit lickity split due to an eery electrical buzz circling around my head. I've been zapped by static on top of Horsetooth before, and this brought back unpleasant memories. Kinda cold and miserable coming back down, but another one in the books.<br /><br /><b>Weds - 7 miles (1,800') easy</b>. Got out at noon and most of the snow from the night before had already melted off. Good bit of mud out there right now, but nothing a few days days of sunshine won't clear up. Super easy going up as I was feeling a little worked from Tuesday's efforts. <br /><br /><b>Thurs - AM: 11.5 miles (1,400') hill tempo</b>. Out and back on Centennial Rd with Garcia. Huffing a bit up the hills, but felt really smooth on the flatter stuff: 7:30, 6:12, 6:40, 5:30, 4:59 = 30:51. Finished up with a mile and half cool down. Another gorgeous spring-like morning in the Fort. Getting the work done.<br /><b>PM: 7 miles (1,800') easy</b>. Jogged up Horsetooth at a super casual pace, and necessarily so. Legs weren't giving me much after the morning session.<br /><br /><b>Fri - AM: 7 miles (1,800') easy</b>. Horsetooth summit. Started out in the rain with Danny. The rain transitioned to snow halfway up the hill, and then didn't let up for the rest of the day. It's turning into a pretty wet winter. The snowpack for the South Platte River Basin is at 148 percent of the median right now, which hopefully means reduced risk of wildfires this summer - or at least fires in March like we had in Lory last year (followed by five feet of snow). Anyway, nice easy morning on the hill and a total sock-in on top. A rare daylight Erskine sighting on the way up. He was coming down from his 16th summit of the year, while I was heading up for number 54. I won't be beaten in 2014.<br /><b>PM: 4.5 miles (1, 500) easy</b>. Snow was ankle to calf deep by the time I got back on the hill towards the end of the day. The going was decent though, so I was able to get up and down in good time. Had a blast on the feathery descent.<br /><br /><b>Sat - AM: 24 miles (4,600') easy</b>. Repeated the Horsetooth - Redstone - Horsetooth yo-yo from a few weeks back, tacking on a bit of extra distance by routing around Milner Mtn Rd rather than 38e to get to and from Redstone. I was the first one up the hill this morning, so aside from my tracks from late yesterday afternoon the snow was totally unconsolidated. Getting up the hill became something of a slog with the slippery, slushy, postholey footing, which set the tone for the rest of the run. Originally I had wanted to inject some speed on the six miles of rolling dirt road up and down Redstone Canyon, but my legs were simply not interested and this one quickly became about nothing more than getting the mileage in. By the time I hit the hill for the second time, the snow had melted significantly under the bright sun, resulting in muddy and slushy conditions with intermittent postholing thrown in. I slogged my way back up, tagged the summit and then creaked down, returning home via the grim reaper on a pair of pins that were happy to be done. Not a particularly pretty outing, but it's in the books and that's what counts. <br /><br /><b>Sun - AM: 11 miles (3,100') easy</b>. Double Horsetooth (58 &amp; 59) via the three-way. Thought this one might be a bit better than Saturday, but alas the legs were still giving me nothing. Slogged away and got it done though. Up on Southridge/Audra, down in deep, wet snow on Wathan, then back around and up on the Rock Trail. It was absolutely gorgeous out, almost summer-like, which of course brought the hordes out. The parking lot was full and there must have been 40 cars parked up 38e. Total madness. You suffer through winter waiting for the weather to turn and then as soon as it does you begrudge everyone for being out there.<br /><br /><b>Total: 100 miles (21,100')</b><br /><br />I was Captain Slogworthy this weekend, but that's alright. The pins go in and out as you build the spring mileage, but just so long as they're on when you need them to be - which is what the taper is all about - then all should be well with your running world. And that's all I've got to say about that.<br /><br />Really looking forward to the weekend in Salida coming up. I'm thinking the three-hour mark could be in jeopardy, conditions allowing. Right now, the race is reporting a good bit of snow on course, and while most of that will melt out by the weekend, I'm still expecting the usual mix of snow, slush and slop up high, with largely dry trail below 8,000'. Pretty standard conditions.http://irunmountains.blogspot.com/2014/03/week-ending-march-9.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nick)6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241238297532213032.post-7922961004468604192Mon, 03 Mar 2014 17:59:00 +00002014-03-03T10:05:53.165-08:00training logWeek Ending March 2<b>Mon - 7 miles (1,800') easy</b>. Horsetooth north summit. Legs were pretty tired from the weekend. Kept this one super easy. Gorgeous day out.<br /><br /><b>Tues - AM: 7.5 miles intervals</b>. Workout was 5 x 1 mile (City Park). First and last mile were steady, middle miles fartlek. Got there late so no time for a warm up, so the first couple of reps were essentially the warm up. Started on the long mile (1.02) with extra hills and alternated with the shorter route (.98): 5:50, 5:30, 5:38, 5:21, 5:33. Ran mainly with McCullough. Frozen hands in the unusually moist air.<br /><b>PM: 5 miles (1,000') easy</b>. Jogged out a Falls loop in the snow at a really easy recovery pace.<br /><br /><b>Weds - 7 miles (1,800') easy</b>. End of day summit was showing a super thick layer of brown hanging over the Front Range plains. Nasty business.<br /><br /><b>Thurs - AM: 10 miles (1,400') hill tempo</b>. Out for five miles easy on Centennial as usual (43:30), then back at a hard tempo effort with Jason. Just a killer morning out there today with an unbelievably colorful sunrise to the east, mild temps and no wind. It doesn't get much better. Back in 30:38, which is a bit quicker than I have been doing these, but due mainly to a bigger effort rather than miraculous fitness gains: 7:24, 6:00, 6:31, 5:42, 5:01.<br /><b>PM: 9.5 miles (2,000') steady</b>. Towers Rd. Jogged out a couple warm-up miles with Burch before heading up the hill at a reasonably steady effort. The legs felt decent after the warm-up and the 34:00 came pretty easily, which is encouraging. Need to drop the morning run one of these Thursdays and give the hill a full-on effort to get a read on fitness. No better indicator out there.<br /><br /><b>Fri - AM: 7 miles (1,800') easy</b>. Got in a super casual morning Horsetooth summit (47) with Danny. A little stiff from Thursdays exertions, but nothing that a few easy warm-up miles couldn't resolve. The track is now 75% clear of ice, and the weather so mild that it should be close to fully clear by the end of the day.<br /><b>PM: 5 miles (1,500') easy</b>. Was back and forth on this one but finally pushed myself out the door for a quick summit (48) from the trailhead.<br /><br /><b>Sat - 20 miles (2,800') easy</b>. The original plan was a loop of the <a href="http://gnarrunners.com/quad-rock-50/course-map-and-elevation/">Quad Rock course</a> with Ostram and Andy J to map the exact route for this year's race - as there has been a slight re-route on Sawmill - but overnight ice rain with a couple inches of snow over the top left the trails in pretty treacherous shape, so we aborted at Horsetooth Upper&nbsp;and ran back via 38e and the valley trails, tacking on additional up-tempo road mileage at the end to at least salvage 20 from the day. A little weak to bail on the original plan, but none of us wanted to break anything with a nasty fall, so it was probably the right call. Pete got out a little later in the day to map the new section of trail on Sawmill, which cuts about a half mile off the loop versus last year and puts the full course right back where it was originally at just a few tenths - give or take - over 50 miles.<br /><br /><b>Sun - 6.5 miles easy.</b> Got out in bitterly cold temps to mark the Tortoise and Hare 10k route in town. It was my only running window for the day, so would have to do. Unfortunately, I couldn't drag myself out of bed any earlier than 5:00 to bag extra miles, capping something of a disappointing running weekend. I was looking for 40 over the two days but ended with 26.5 miles and significantly less vertical thanks to Saturday's cop out. And so it goes.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hFLLxGoBLqE/UxS_tq3fPlI/AAAAAAAADkw/WtykqT7GI_A/s1600/ColdTH.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hFLLxGoBLqE/UxS_tq3fPlI/AAAAAAAADkw/WtykqT7GI_A/s1600/ColdTH.jpeg" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The propane heater helped, but man it was cold this morning. Aided as always by the wonderful Hannah Eskew.&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UuPbcuMDY40/UxS_u3SN35I/AAAAAAAADk4/pjLlsMZURp8/s1600/DaveHuner.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UuPbcuMDY40/UxS_u3SN35I/AAAAAAAADk4/pjLlsMZURp8/s1600/DaveHuner.jpeg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dave Huner sporting an immaculate ice beard.</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0fhFFRAFIqQ/UxS_0q73QfI/AAAAAAAADlA/4mM3IWwuY6s/s1600/NickT&amp;H.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0fhFFRAFIqQ/UxS_0q73QfI/AAAAAAAADlA/4mM3IWwuY6s/s1600/NickT&amp;H.jpeg" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mine was a little more scraggly, as usual. Pics: FCRC</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Hj6U9xOlvF4/UxTCynKacxI/AAAAAAAADlc/iyqHkcznWn0/s1600/MaureenHyde.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Hj6U9xOlvF4/UxTCynKacxI/AAAAAAAADlc/iyqHkcznWn0/s1600/MaureenHyde.jpeg" height="320" width="208" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maureen Hyde picked up the win for the third month in a row.&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table><b>Total: 84.5 miles (14,100')</b><br /><b><br /></b>With the exception of the weekend, which was something of a bust, this was a decent week of training. I got some workouts done and managed to find the time to get three double days in, which is where I like to be when loading the mileage. At the beginning of the week I was looking for 100+ miles, as mentally that kind of volume makes me feel like I'm properly invested in my training. But, you know, life and weather gets in the way sometimes. I'll make sure to hit the digits I want this week, though, before cutting things back a bit in the week leading up to the Salida Trail Marathon.<br /><br />Salida has marked the beginning of the racing year for me for many seasons now. I know the course well, I know what kind of times I should be running, and I just love the low-key vibe mixed with the always solid competition. Speaking of which, perennial favorites and previous winners Timmy Parr and Ryan Burch will be running again this year, alongside Josh Arthur - who edged me out for the win by a minute last year - Jason Koop, Joe Grant, and young Fort Collins (now Durango) upstart Paul Hamilton, among many others. There's plenty enough competition right there to make sure this will be a proper rust-busting race effort. http://irunmountains.blogspot.com/2014/03/week-ending-march-2.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nick)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241238297532213032.post-7753541999882110793Mon, 24 Feb 2014 17:34:00 +00002014-02-24T09:34:54.273-08:00training logFour weeks Ending February 24<b><i>Week Ending February 2</i></b><br /><br /><b>Monday - 7 miles (1,800') easy</b>. Jogged up in the cold and snow for a tag of Horsetooth. Perfect training run for the upcoming stage race in the tropics.<br /><br /><b>Tuesday - 7 miles (1,800') easy</b>. I was going to do Jane's workout in the morning, but it was cold and crappy again, so I deferred to Horsetooth.<br /><br /><b>Wednesday - 5 miles (1,500') easy</b>. Not a whole lot of time with work pressures and the need to start getting the family ready for the trip to Costa Rica and the Coastal Challenge, so made this a quick Horsetooth tag (25), starting at the trailhead.<br /><br /><b>Thursday - 4 miles (1,000) easy</b>. Running out of time on the day, I ran the 'neighborhood round-up' in the dark, covering all the road mileage in the neighborhood on a beautiful evening with big flakes floating serenely to the ground. A predicted 10 inches of overnight snow meant one hour less of sleep for what was already promising to be a long day of travel on Friday. <br /><b><br /></b><b>Friday - Off</b>. Travel day to Costa Rica, with a 2:00 am wake up. The extra hour allotted for crappy roads turned out to be unnecessary as not nearly as much snow came down as predicted. And so the weeklong exercise in sleep-deprivation begins.<br /><br /><b>Saturday - 4.5 miles easy</b>. Ran a couple of loops with Mike Wardian from the hotel we were staying at in San Jose. Pleasantly surprised at the comfortable temps up in the relative altitude of the Costa Rican capital. The story at sea level would be markedly different.<br /><br /><b>Sunday - 22.5 miles (2,700') steady</b>. It was a ridiculously early wake-up call for the four-hour trip out to the race start, made even more painful by the fact that I basically didn't sleep because Stella was tossing, turning and coughing all night. Slept a bit on the bus but not much. The route for this, the first stage of the <a href="http://www.irunmountains.blogspot.com/2014/02/the-coastal-challenge.html">Coastal Challenge</a> stage race, was tough in that it was hot, involved 10 miles of rock infested road running right off the bat, and did I mention that it was hot.<br /><br />Wardian was off to the races almost immediately, and by the time we hit trail after 10 miles he had something close to a three-minute lead. I was running with Martin Gaffuri for most of this and we made back some time heading up the first major hill of the race through some good jungle terrain. By the time we popped back onto the road, Wardian was not much more than 100 meters ahead (aided by a wrong turn), and then over the next climb I pulled back up to him. He put me away on the long descent to the finish, and I ran the last four or five miles with Vincente Juan Garcia Beneito from Alicante, Spain. With my lack of Spanish and his lack of English, we didn't have much to chat about, but we'd get to know each other well over the next few days as we essentially ran shoulder to shoulder until the end of stage 4.&nbsp;Vincente is a prolific and thoroughly successful stage racer and an absolute machine. Despite our inability to communicate verbally, I learned a hell of a lot from the guy over the week.<br /><br />Vincente and I ended up crossing the line together for joint second, two and a half minutes behind Mike. Carlos Sa would have been fourth a few minutes back, but he ended up taking an inexplicable three-hour wrong turn when he was just 100 meters from the finish line. Seriously, the course was marked immaculately. Hobbling around afterwards, I couldn't believe how beat up I felt from a measly 20 miler, but there was no rest for the wicked and it was straight on to fathering duty - enabled by some gloriously cold Imperials.<br /><br /><b>Total: 50 miles (8,800')</b><br /><b><br /></b><b><i>Week Ending February 9</i></b><br /><b><br /></b><b>Mon - 24 miles (4,800') steady. </b>Day two of the Coastal Challenge. This was a fun stage and I felt good the whole way around, finishing strong over the last three or four miles of beach running. Joint third overall on the stage and 3.5 minutes back overall on Wardian. The staging area on Dominical Beach, like all our staging areas for the week, was sublime.<br /><br /><b>Tues - 29.5 miles (5,200') steady</b>. Day three of the Coastal Challenge was the first of two 'long days,' and ended up being a real bruiser by the time it was all said and done. The first 10kms through the river was a ton of fun and one of the more unique trail-racing experiences I've had. The middle miles climbing through the jungle was dense and intense and the final miles on the beach under the blazing sun were pure brutality. Finished the day in fourth, losing 10 minutes over the last 12kms to the finish. Again, our finish location on Ventanas Beach was other-worldly and about as far removed from February in Colorado as imaginable.<br /><br /><b>Weds - 23 miles (6,500') steady</b>. Day four was a big climbing day and the end of my race. I pulled up lame with five kms to go, sat in the shade for 10 minutes and then hobbled home.<br /><br /><b>Thurs - 29.5 miles (3,000') easy</b>. After my medical issues from day four, I committed to taking things easy for the final long day of the race, and did just that. The miles clicked by quickly on this relatively flat leg. The section through the mangroves was just fantastic. The finish in the gob-smackingly beautiful Drakes Bay was incredible.<br /><br /><b>Friday - 14.5 miles (1,200') easy</b>. With positions essentially set, we agreed to run as a group for the final stage of the race. The tour was fantastic and included a bit of everything we'd run through the previous five days. A great way to finish a great week.<br /><br /><b>Saturday - Off</b><br /><b><br /></b><b>Sunday - Off</b><br /><b><br /></b><b>Total: 120.5 miles (20,700')</b><br /><b><br /></b><b><i>Week Ending February 16</i></b><br /><b><br /></b><b>Mon - Off</b><br /><b><br /></b><b>Tues - 7 miles (1,800') easy. </b>Horsetooth jog. Decided against intervals in the morning in favor of sleep and additional recovery. Got a jog up Horsetooth done and felt pretty good all things considered.<br /><br /><b>Weds - 7 miles (1,800') easy</b>. Another easy jog up Horsetooth.<br /><br /><b>Thurs - AM: 7 miles (1,800') easy</b>. Horsetooth. Declined on the regular Thursday tempo in favor of some easier recovery miles. Conditions were okay, but continued to be totally snowpacked.<br /><b>PM: 7 miles (1,700') moderate</b>. A moderate climb of Towers (~37 mins) in less-than-ideal conditions, with heavy mud at the bottom and bullet-proof ice at the top.<br /><br /><b>Fri - AM: 7 miles (1,800') easy</b>. Horsetooth with Danny. Kinda icy and choppy, but decent enough.<br /><b>PM: 5 miles (1,500') easy</b>. Jogged another lap on Horsetooth late in the day.<br /><br /><b>Sat - 13 miles (3,500') easy</b>. Set out with Danny to bag a Horsetooth Hattrick, but bailed after two summits, completely frustrated with the terrible, icy underfoot conditions.<br /><br /><b>Sun - 17 miles (4,800') easy</b>. Conditions were marginally better today, so I resolved to get the triple done, bagging a south, middle and north summit via the south, middle and north routes up the mountain.<br /><br /><b>Total: 70 miles (18,700')</b><br /><br /><b><i>Week Ending February 23</i></b><br /><br /><b>Mon - 7 miles (1,800') easy</b>. Horsetooth north summit. With warm winds blowing all weekend, the trails are really starting to clear. Nice easy jog up the hill.<br /><br /><b>Tues - AM: 9 miles intervals</b>. Eased in and generally didn't push too hard. Ran with McCullough and Garica, both of whom seemed fine with the casual effort. I wasn't going to push the issue. Workout was mile (cemetary), 2 mile fartlek (City Park), mile (cemetary), 2 mile fartlek (CP): 6:05, 12:01, 5:30, 11:30.<br /><b>PM: 5 miles (1,500') easy</b>. End of day Horsetooth summit.<br /><br /><b>Weds - 7 miles (1,800') easy</b>. Lunchtime easy up the hill. Wanted a second summit, but never found the time. Winds were brutal.<br /><br /><b>Thurs - 10 miles (1,400') hill tempo</b>. Centennial Rd out and back. Big tailwind coming home, but didn't get too aggressive: 31:30. Really wanted to get out for a second run, but the wind was just brutal, so I opted for rest.<br /><br /><b>Fri - 7 miles (1,800') easy</b>. Big push up the hill with the wind, which made for a fun and quick outing. Climbed the north-gap route and almost got blown off the rock by the gusts funneling through. Exhilirating.<br /><br /><b>Sat - 24 miles (4,800') easy/steady</b>. Ran from Devil's Backbone with Jason &amp; Mike to top of Horsetooth via Towers, Herrington, Wathan, then tacked on another summit on the Rock trail for good measure before heading home. Felt strong all morning. Fitness is coming around.<br /><br /><b>Sun - 15 miles (4,500') easy</b>. Triple Horsetooth (44) via the three-way. Up Southridge/Audra, down Wathan, up/down Rock trail, up Wathan, down Southridge/Audra, home on the Grim Reaper. Gorgeous morning out with a nice layer of low-laying clouds to the south/west and in the valleys. Felt strong all morning again. Super solid weekend. <br /><br /><b>Total: 84 miles (17,600')</b><br /><br />Phew, it's been a very busy last month, and keeping up with the blogging has been a challenge. Happy to be up-to-date with things here now that I'm reasonably up to date with other facets of life.<br /><br />This past weekend was really encouraging from a running standpoint. My week in Costa Rica, while a fantastic experience, was less than stellar with regards to fitness. I went into the race with next to no long runs under my belt and suffered as a consequence, fading badly on a couple of the stages and ultimately breaking down physically in the heat by day four. Nonetheless, I was proud to see the week out and cover the full course. It was the kick start I needed, and this past week things have really been clicking. My endurance felt great, I'm moving much better uphill and I'm excited for the 2014 season ahead.<br /><br />Speaking of which, I am really excited to be adding the <a href="http://www.ultratrailmtfuji.com/en/">Ultra Trail Mount Fuji 100</a> to my racing schedule this year. It comes a little early in the year for me, but it was an opportunity I just couldn't pass up. What effect it has on my form for Western States is to be determined, but hey, as all the kids are saying these days, you only live once!<br /><br />What else, well I'm excited to be representing <a href="http://ultraspire.com/">Ultraspire</a> again this year. There is a lot of innovation happening out in the St. George, UT HQ and I'm excited to test run their new offerings for 2014 - starting with the simplified bottle tops.<br /><br />In other sponsor news, unfortunately I've had to part ways with Pearl Izumi for 2014. It was a great experience working with the guys in Lousiville, CO for the four years that I represented the brand, and helping to move the shoe line from - let's be honest - mediocre to outstanding was a ton of fun. Pearl has hit a home run with the E:Motion line and I wish them nothing but the best for 2014 and beyond. And the future appears bright, with shoes in the pipeline looking even better than the first E:motion run, and the apparel remaining up there as an industry leader. Quite honestly I'm sad to move on, but also excited for future opportunities.<br /><br />I am happy, however, to be maintaining a relationship with Pearl through the <a href="http://gnarrunners.com/quad-rock-50/">Quad Rock</a> races coming up in May. For the third year running, Pearl will be the presenting sponsor, so there will be opportunities for runners to demo the new shoe line on race day and at the spring training run. The 25 mile race sold out quite some time ago, but we do still have spots left for the 50 miler. The field is already looking strong in both the men's and women's division, so we're excited that through our relationship with the <a href="http://www.thehunterteam.net/">Hunter Team at Cornerstone Home Lending</a>&nbsp;we've been able to bump the prize purse to $1,600 for 2014.<br /><br />We'll also be opening registration for our summer and fall races - the <a href="http://gnarrunners.com/black-squirrel-half/">Black Squirrel Half Marathon</a> and <a href="http://www.blueskymarathon.com/">Blue Sky Marathon</a>&nbsp;- on April 1 and have some really fun things planned for both races. But what we're even more excited about is getting up to Cameron Pass this summer to scout out a high-altitude, mountain 100km route that we have planned for 2015. We have an initial nod of approval from the powers that be up there, but there is still plenty of work to be done. If we can pull this one off I really think this will be one of the premier destination ultra races in Colorado. The terrain up in the Never Summer and Medicine Bow Mountains is quite honestly some of the best that Colorado has to offer. But we have to be patient and wait for the spring thaw before we can get things totally figured out.<br /><br />Spring is on the way. Fire up the stoke!http://irunmountains.blogspot.com/2014/02/four-weeks-ending-february-24.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nick)11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241238297532213032.post-5657794333095796028Fri, 21 Feb 2014 19:22:00 +00002014-02-24T09:46:53.307-08:00Race ReportThe Coastal Challenge <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NOnPxhNwkS0/UweZQWl6DbI/AAAAAAAADjU/UBTyNZCWYNQ/s1600/DSC00105.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NOnPxhNwkS0/UweZQWl6DbI/AAAAAAAADjU/UBTyNZCWYNQ/s1600/DSC00105.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KSq20pownVk/UweZcJ5042I/AAAAAAAADjc/pl0pvvlCl5c/s1600/DSC00092.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KSq20pownVk/UweZcJ5042I/AAAAAAAADjc/pl0pvvlCl5c/s1600/DSC00092.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div><br />My family and mother-in-law joined me for the weeklong trip out Costa Rica for the 10th running of the <a href="http://thecoastalchallenge.com/">Coastal Challenge</a> stage race, a six-day, 145-mile run through the jungles, beaches and coastal mountains of this gorgeous Central American country. To celebrate the decade-long anniversary of the event, the organizers had invited a number of runners from around the world to make a race of it at the front of the field. In the men's race, there were six of us who seemed likely to be in the running. I was the only one coming in as a stage-racing rookie, with a couple of the European guys bona fide specialists.<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-a8B6S7gGuHQ/Uwd4caagwKI/AAAAAAAADhI/tn095Ybp5_M/s1600/CoastalChallenge1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-a8B6S7gGuHQ/Uwd4caagwKI/AAAAAAAADhI/tn095Ybp5_M/s1600/CoastalChallenge1.jpeg" height="212" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The start.&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table>After settling into a day of hotel living at the Best Western in San Jose, the capital city, for pre-race briefings and the like, we were whisked off in the wee hours of Sunday morning on a long bus ride to a beach from where we would begin the six days of racing.<br /><br />San Jose sits at relative altitude and as such enjoys relatively cool temperatures. The situation on the coast would be markedly different, and by the time we got running on day one it was already a scorcher.<br /><br />On the docket for the morning was a stage right out of the Mike Wardian playbook: 10 miles of flat jeep track, followed by a couple of 1,000 - 2,000 foot bumps and then more flat running into the finish. Mike's superior leg speed was evident from the get go, and by the time we finally made the turn onto a stretch of rough singletrack through the jungle, he was a couple of minutes off the front. Frenchman Martin Gaffuri and I worked together up the hill and by the time we popped back onto the jungle road Mike was no more than 50 meters ahead, a gap that was soon closed on the climb to the high point of the day's stage.<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IVK0v9vhSLc/Uwd5CB78l6I/AAAAAAAADiI/t6Lhn1oH-Z8/s1600/12441111713_5932cd954d_c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IVK0v9vhSLc/Uwd5CB78l6I/AAAAAAAADiI/t6Lhn1oH-Z8/s1600/12441111713_5932cd954d_c.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All fun and games at this stage.<br />Photo: J.A. Vargas Lead Adventure Media</td></tr></tbody></table>Thinking smart thoughts (or so I thought), I let him go on the ensuing descent with the goal of preserving my quads for the five days of racing to come. With a few miles left to the finish, Spaniard and stage racing legend Vincente Juan Garcia Beneito, caught up to me and we pushed together into the finish, crossing as one at a stunning eco-lodge tucked away in the depths of a luscious jungle valley.&nbsp;Martin rolled in 10 minutes later, followed by Philip Reiter from Germany a few minutes after that. Badwater champion Carlos Sa ended up taking a mysterious wrong turn 100 meters from the finish line that cost him something in order of three hours, essentially putting him out of the running for the rest of the race. Much to his credit, however, he persevered.<br /><br />Quite frankly, I was stunned at how much I was hurting after a fairly simple 22 mile run and shuddered at the thought of the early mornings and heavy mileage ahead. I licked my wounds and attempted to play with the kids through the afternoon. Eventually, after some quality time in the cold pool accompanied by cold beers, I was able to walk with a little more fluidity. As would be the case all week, my appetite was insatiable and I was able to put food away in vast quantities.<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0obZ03LMHvA/UweYvzlzRwI/AAAAAAAADjM/uRsd2xSWueA/s1600/DSC00046.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0obZ03LMHvA/UweYvzlzRwI/AAAAAAAADjM/uRsd2xSWueA/s1600/DSC00046.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not a bad spot to end day 1.</td></tr></tbody></table>In order to beat the heat, each day started early. Fortunately I didn't have to pack everything in the morning as Dana and the kids would leave a little later with the staff bus, but trying to find things at 4:30 in the morning amid a mess of soggy gear intermixed with a mound of kids' stuff all the while grimacing at inexplicably sore legs was an interesting way to prepare for the morning's racing. With five minutes until the start, I finally found my race bib, slotted into a damp pair of running shoes and got ready to go.<br /><br />Right from the off on day two, we were into the jungle, gaining elevation quickly and sweating profusely. Five of us in the lead group ascended the climb as one, with Philip off the front and out of sight. We spaced a bit as skill sets dictated across a mix of technical descents, jeep road and cow pasture. It was on the super rutted cow pasture descent, in particular, that we built a gap on the Yellow Jersey of Wardian.<br /><br />By the river crossing at the halfway point of the day's stage he was out of shoulder-check sight, while Philip was maintaining his lead off the front. Nonetheless, there would be a long stretch of groomed dirt road that would allow Wardian to catch back up and grow a lead over myself and Vincente Juan, the two of us again firmly in lockstep in third and fourth. The stage ended with approximately four miles on the beach to the finish in the small surf town of Domincal. Vincente and I closed &nbsp;the gap on Mike to less than a minute by the finish, working well together under mercifully overcast skies, with Philip a couple minutes ahead of Mike. Martin and Carlos ended the day another 10 to 20 minutes back, so it was looking like it would be a four-horse race, with less than four minutes separating the first three, Vincente and I finishing the 24-mile leg together for the second straight day.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9HG6ZzxDV0M/UweZuzgqEQI/AAAAAAAADjk/j_0L0bt6CBA/s1600/DSC00055.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9HG6ZzxDV0M/UweZuzgqEQI/AAAAAAAADjk/j_0L0bt6CBA/s1600/DSC00055.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-USR9n_KQTXM/UweZ9ApwRNI/AAAAAAAADjs/DyoBZqOLdlI/s1600/DSC00062.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-USR9n_KQTXM/UweZ9ApwRNI/AAAAAAAADjs/DyoBZqOLdlI/s1600/DSC00062.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beach fun in Dominical.</td></tr></tbody></table>The camp location right on the beach was absolutely stunning, and I spent the remainder of the day playing in the surf with the kids, building sand castles and consuming calories. There was a large population of beach dogs down here in Dominical, no doubt thriving off tourist generosity, and one mutt in particular attached himself to Alistair and the camp in general.<br /><br />At close to 50k, day three was the first of two long days, and perhaps the one to start stringing the field out a bit. It began with a short tour through town and then launched into 5kms of swimming, wading and rock hopping along the course of a gorgeous river, which after a short stretch of connecting double track would lead us to a stunning double waterfall.<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dXq9c6Brka4/Uwd432M5UtI/AAAAAAAADh4/v7XRat6gcz4/s1600/Coastal9.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dXq9c6Brka4/Uwd432M5UtI/AAAAAAAADh4/v7XRat6gcz4/s1600/Coastal9.jpeg" height="320" width="180" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ultradog</td></tr></tbody></table>Running through town, Alistair's mutt friend from the night before was right there barking and nipping at our heels. At first an annoyance, the dog stuck with us through the first 5km, then proceeded to make his way up the river with us, whining and crying at particularly tricky spots but always finding a way to navigate. By the first aid station, five of us plus Ultra Dog emerged from the river and crossed the bridge on the way to the waterfall. Looking back down the river, Wardian was nowhere to be seen, which meant he was floundering in the river at least 10 minutes back, more than enough to erase his lead from the first two days. This was getting fun and the race was on.<br /><br />After some howling and hollering at the sight of the waterfall, it was time to get our heads down for some grunting up steep jungle trail to the rolling roads that led us out to some of the thickest jungle terrain we would see all week. By the time we hit the trail and started moving through the thicket, it was myself, Vincente and Philip - accompanied by Ultra Dog - leading the way. There were stretches in here that had clearly just been machete'ed days before, the fern-like foliage collecting and piling up around our ankles as we waded through. The heat of the day was once again piling on, and at each and every creek crossing I silently implored the dog to stop and get some fluids, but he seemed unflappable and singularly focused on hanging with the group.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VFdksSVJMu0/UwelpI4E8HI/AAAAAAAADkc/FiyVY_-Hwss/s1600/Jungle+Climb.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VFdksSVJMu0/UwelpI4E8HI/AAAAAAAADkc/FiyVY_-Hwss/s1600/Jungle+Climb.jpeg" height="226" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Climbing out from the waterfall. Photo: J.A. Vargas Lead Adventure Media</td></tr></tbody></table>After a long climb to the second aid station, we were off to the races with a long stretch of downhill dirt roads, punctuated by short sections of technical jungle trail. Wardian had been running the smooth descents a lot quicker than all of us on the first two stages, so I was expecting him to pick us up at some point before we got down to the beach, but I don't think any of us expected him to close on us quite as quickly as he did, not far from the high point of the course. Once he got on the train, we ran pretty much as a group - dog included - for the long descent to the Pacific Ocean.<br /><br />After four hours of hard running through the jungle, the exposure to the sun and soul sapping views of endless beach kms did a major number on me. I'd been told 12 kms of beach, so prepped myself for an hour of torture and dropped off the back of the pack, alone with just the dog for company. As it turns out, it was only 30 minutes of beach running, but by the time I made it to the canopy and the short climb out from the beach I was wobbling like a drunk man, more than a little disoriented. The final three or four kms on the road to our unbelievably scenic finish location at Ventanas Beach National Park were some of the more pathetic miles I've put in during my time as a runner.<br /><br />I gave up more than 10 minutes on those last few miles on the beach and road, but cared about nothing more than getting rehydrated and cooled once finally at the finish, the toll of the last three days, 75 miles and scorching sun really starting to take large chunks out of me. I was quickly realizing that I was coming into this race woefully underprepared.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lTeQk5UMBSE/Uweal_nUt9I/AAAAAAAADj8/sWo_6SCZG5E/s1600/DSC00073.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lTeQk5UMBSE/Uweal_nUt9I/AAAAAAAADj8/sWo_6SCZG5E/s1600/DSC00073.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RJ0DDTCExX8/UweaYA0aZ9I/AAAAAAAADj0/VRO48lrmVqE/s1600/DSC00075.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RJ0DDTCExX8/UweaYA0aZ9I/AAAAAAAADj0/VRO48lrmVqE/s1600/DSC00075.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The kids on Ventanas Beach.</td></tr></tbody></table>Once I was back in the land of the living, it was time to figure out the camping situation and then spend some quality time with the kids in the ocean at one of the most scenic and secluded beaches I've ever had the pleasure of enjoying. The heavens opened up rainforest style that night, and the first two hours of 'sleep' were spent trying to keep water out of the tent. It was not a good night's sleep to say the very least, and the race was quickly becoming as much about managing&nbsp;exhaustion through sleep deprivation as it was managing&nbsp;a physically dinged up body.<br /><br />The clock stops for nobody, and by 4:30 it was time to start sorting through the damp and wet to get ready for the next day's racing, which on paper looked like something of a respite at just 22 miles. But we'd been warned of some pretty gnarly terrain, so nothing was being taken for granted. And then, once again, we were off to the races.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HtOJcMYRY3Q/Uwd5x9CbOBI/AAAAAAAADiY/TYU1Jet8XOs/s1600/12444232714_cc0c86b980_c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HtOJcMYRY3Q/Uwd5x9CbOBI/AAAAAAAADiY/TYU1Jet8XOs/s1600/12444232714_cc0c86b980_c.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a>Day four opened up with a few kilometers of gradually ascending jungle road, before a big 3,000 foot climb on steep, tight and barely-there jungle trail. Once again I found myself working with Vincente up the hill, Philip off the front and Mike a minute or two up the trail. We hiked 90 percent of the climb, and despite feeling like I needed to be pushing harder, I was content just to follow Vincente's heels to the top. It came relatively quickly, and once at elevation we would follow rolling, wide and well-groomed dirt roads with huge views for miles. I made the occasional attempt at dropping Vincente, something I'd yet been able to do over the first three days, but soon gave up figuring that the steep, technical descent at the end of the stage would be where I'd chop some time on the competition.<br /><br /><i>Au contraire</i>, Blackadder.&nbsp;With a measly five kilometers to the finish, my race essentially came to a grinding halt.<br /><br />I was pleased that I needed to pee, as it would allow me to stop running for a few seconds to take care of business, but I wasn't prepared for the thick ruby red flow that ensued. Immediately my brain shut things down and I was no longer able to run. The day had turned into yet another scorcher, so I found a spot in the shade, laid on my back and considered my fate.<br /><br />"Kidney failure, hyponatremia ('wait, what are the symptoms again?'), dehydration, bladder chaffing?"<br /><br />"Which one is it damn-it?"<br /><br />After 10 minutes of sitting, I finally decided I needed to get to the finish and be done with running. I was pulling the plug, DNF'ing, spending tomorrow playing with the kids in the ocean.<br /><br />I finally rolled into the finish after a long, hot 5km shuffle, some 30 minutes behind the lead, and set about rehydrating. Exhaustion aside, I actually felt fine. I told the camp doc the same, and he prescribed a couple of hours of fluid intake before deciding what needed to be done. A couple of hours and many liters of water later, and hey presto my pee looked like pee again. There went the excuse to dodge day five and a further 48kms of fun.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xjIVECcdxFQ/Uwd58Zyc4eI/AAAAAAAADig/3alInj5rS_Q/s1600/Coastal17.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xjIVECcdxFQ/Uwd58Zyc4eI/AAAAAAAADig/3alInj5rS_Q/s1600/Coastal17.jpeg" height="400" width="266" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heaven. Photo: <a href="http://www.restarts.es/">RestArts Studio</a></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UCi1z2V9r1A/Uwd6XhVN1SI/AAAAAAAADiw/hJZYDek3IfI/s1600/DeathClark.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UCi1z2V9r1A/Uwd6XhVN1SI/AAAAAAAADiw/hJZYDek3IfI/s1600/DeathClark.jpeg" height="298" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And Hell! Photo: <a href="http://iancorless.org/">Ian Corless</a></td></tr></tbody></table>I ate well for the remainder of the day, looked for crocodiles with the kids and slowly got my mind back into the game. I would finish out the mileage, complete the Coastal Challenge, but the racing was over with. I felt good about the compromise and got a sound night's sleep.<br /><br />Day five was a long one for sure, but mercifully it was relatively flat, which allowed the miles to float by in a metronomic rhythm. For the first time all race, I had some space from other runners, so I sat back and enjoyed the scene. The mangroves in particular were stunning, but just as bucolic were the horses out to pasture in a beautiful valley as open as the mangroves were dense.<br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-deYDebGCkbM/Uwd44i2VuDI/AAAAAAAADiA/JvmGrvPqGOE/s1600/Coastal10.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-deYDebGCkbM/Uwd44i2VuDI/AAAAAAAADiA/JvmGrvPqGOE/s1600/Coastal10.jpeg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">End Day 5 at Drakes Bay</td></tr></tbody></table><br />With every passing step I was getting closer to Drake Bay, our final and perhaps most stunning location of the entire trip. I passed an ailing Carlos Sa at mile 20 or so. Carlos, like many in the race, was dealing with pretty major feet issues. Mercifully my feet had held up through the humidity, dousing and countless creek and river crossings. It could have been so much worse.<br /><br />There was one final river to cross before we made our way to the finish on the beach. I sat for a while to cool my jets, then engaged the final kms of road to the beach. Popping out onto the beach at Drakes Bay, the finish line was a mere 800 meters away - no endless beach running to finish the day - thank the sweet baby Jesus.<br /><br />Despite having a final day of running left to complete, there was a definite sense of accomplishment around camp that afternoon. The final day at 13 miles would be nothing more than a victory lap, a quite stunning victory lap as it turned out, with rivers, waterfalls, dogs, dirt roads, beaches, coastal singletrack and a final few hundred meters of beach running all packed in there as a punctuation point on a fantastic week.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dmhINTgfVeM/Uwd4qRyHpsI/AAAAAAAADhw/PbxP9DhSqcg/s1600/Coastal8.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dmhINTgfVeM/Uwd4qRyHpsI/AAAAAAAADhw/PbxP9DhSqcg/s1600/Coastal8.jpeg" height="320" width="240" /></a>I felt a true sense of accomplishment at the finish. The Coastal Challenge had lived up to its name and challenged me in ways I hadn't predicted it would. Each and every day was a grind, the heat and humidity were intense, and the level of competition meant that there was simply no letting off the gas. Every day was a race - until, of course, it wasn't.<br /><br />I have to thank the race organizers for putting together such a stunning course and figuring out the crazy logistics that go into an event like this. Camp was ripped down every night and miraculously re-established at the next day's location, kitchen, med tents and all. The staging locations were gob-smackingly beautiful and the camaraderie around camp was flat-out fun. I was a little nervous about bringing the whole family out for this one, but the kids had an absolute blast and were truly sad to leave camp life and the warm ocean.<br /><br />This one comes highly recommended, solo or <i>en famille.</i><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-h0PQZIKmVhM/Uwd4nL108NI/AAAAAAAADhg/-E7HU2yHvgc/s1600/Coastal6.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-h0PQZIKmVhM/Uwd4nL108NI/AAAAAAAADhg/-E7HU2yHvgc/s1600/Coastal6.jpeg" height="263" width="400" /></a></i></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2hfSD915fVA/Uwd4eGZ4o_I/AAAAAAAADhQ/1uwMfcCJ77w/s1600/Caostal3+(IC).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2hfSD915fVA/Uwd4eGZ4o_I/AAAAAAAADhQ/1uwMfcCJ77w/s1600/Caostal3+(IC).jpeg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stella was quite taken with Dr Luciano!</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uD7Xw9NoF4Y/Uwd8R_DbHDI/AAAAAAAADi8/2WNsD_e2ZS8/s1600/Nick&amp;AliCC2014.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uD7Xw9NoF4Y/Uwd8R_DbHDI/AAAAAAAADi8/2WNsD_e2ZS8/s1600/Nick&amp;AliCC2014.jpeg" height="298" width="400" /></a></i></div><i></i><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hFgo7-92iJI/Uwd4fFtbP5I/AAAAAAAADhY/k4uKdSidkn4/s1600/Coastal2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hFgo7-92iJI/Uwd4fFtbP5I/AAAAAAAADhY/k4uKdSidkn4/s1600/Coastal2.jpeg" height="281" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photos: Ian Corless&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i></i></div><i></i><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Zm4bUlwcSzU/Uwd5-DBp87I/AAAAAAAADio/cFm5kHGlxyk/s1600/Coastal18.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Zm4bUlwcSzU/Uwd5-DBp87I/AAAAAAAADio/cFm5kHGlxyk/s1600/Coastal18.jpeg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: <a href="http://www.restarts.es/">RestArts Studio</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br />http://irunmountains.blogspot.com/2014/02/the-coastal-challenge.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nick)14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241238297532213032.post-5479942063387882048Fri, 31 Jan 2014 04:41:00 +00002014-01-30T20:41:01.551-08:00Race Reporttraining logWeek Ending January 27<b>Mon - 10 miles (2,500') easy</b>. South Horsetooth summit via Slush's Slit and then around on Westridge - Spring Creek. Another beautiful day in The Fort.<br /><br /><b>Tues - AM: 7 miles intervals</b>. Not much in the tank for this morning's work. Ran with Chris, but the effort/split relationship was not a good one for me. Worked way too hard for these. Maybe some lingering cold stuff going on, if I really want to reach for an excuse. Or just getting old. Workout was 3 (1,200, 1,000) around City Park Lake, with the kilos as fartleks: 4:08, 3:25, 4:04, 3:23, 4:00, 3:20.<br /><b>PM: 5 miles (1,500') easy</b>. An easy jog up Horsetooth to shake out the morning workout.<br /><br /><b>Weds - 7.5 miles (1,800') easy</b>. Casual Horsetooth summit on icy trails.<br /><br /><b>Thurs - AM: 10 miles (1,400') hill tempo</b>. It was cold this morning and the roads on Centennial were an icy/snowy mess, which made for challenging running trying to maintain an effort coming back. Out easy to the turn, then back with Jason in approximately 33 mins.<br /><b>PM: 4.5 miles (1,500') kinda hard</b>. Retained my title on the VBM. Undefeated in all four renditions, as it happens.<br /><br /><b>Fri - 7.5 miles (1,800') easy</b>. Grabbed a morning ascent of Horsetooth with Danny in the new snow. A little slippery, but I knew where all the icy spots were hidden. Back down the hill with neighbor Mike and his big plott hound.<br /><br /><b>Sat - 12.5 miles (3,400') easy</b>. Double Horsetooth summit (21 &amp; 22): Southridge - Audra - Rock - Wathan - Spring Creek - Soderberg - Rock - Audra - Southridge. Super casual double up and down via the cheat three-way route.<br /><br /><b>Sun - 15.5 (1,500') 5k/10k Frost Giant double</b>. We stayed up in Estes Saturday night with Danny and his family at a cabin that one of Danny's colleagues had graciously opened up to us. Elk burgers were on the menu, which is fitting while in Estes, a town that is overrun by Elk. We were in town for the 35th running of the Frost Giant races, the fourth year in a row for me. The morning starts out with a 5k at 11:00 and a 10k at noon. Both races are a mix of hilly road and tough cross country, all at 7,500 - 8,000 feet.<br /><br />There was a good group up from The Fort and surrounding areas, so we got out for a jog of the 5k course to assess conditions, which aside from the wind - always a factor in Estes - were pretty good. Getting ready, I bumped into Joe G who'd indicated the day before that he might be coming up, doubling down on the double with a 30k snowshoe race the day before.<br /><br />The race got out with me, Mike - who'd beaten me the last time we raced on Thanksgiving - and Joe off the front in a small pack. The pace felt a lot more reasonable than it has in past years. Half a mile in on a slight downhill, Mike put in a little surge and it was just me and him at mile 1 heading up into McGregor Ranch. I kept on the gas all the way up the hill to the high point in McGregor Ranch and then let it go on the downhill across the pasture. This was enough to establish a comfortable gap on Mike, such that I could cruise the final mile back to the finish reasonably comfortably for&nbsp;<a href="http://www.fivestartiming.com/results/2014frostgiant5kresults.htm">18:44</a>. This was a few seconds off of last year, but 50 seconds off my best from 2011.<br /><br />We jogged a bit between races to stay limber, then got things underway for the 10k, which starts with a steep climb up into some neighborhood roads. It looked like it was just me and Joe off the front for this one. We ran together for the first mile, and then I got a gap heading up to McGregor Ranch. The gap on Joe stayed essentially the same for the remainder of the race and I was content just to get around. The underfoot conditions were especially challenging on the 10k part of the course, with the usual off-camber grassy hillsides in addition to some really awkward sections of ice on the low point of the field to pick through. It felt like hard work. I popped back out on the road in 34:35, which meant I needed to run under 5:30 through the last mile to register something under 40 mins. I gave it a go, but came up a few seconds short (<a href="http://www.fivestartiming.com/results/2014frostgiant10kresults.htm">40:08</a>), running another personal worst unfortunately. This one two minutes slower than last year and four minutes off my best. Maybe the course was longer? The cross country section seems to change a bit every year. Or maybe I'm just getting old.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZswD-r0PM0U/UusNdX6ROYI/AAAAAAAADgk/U4eh9PAWE84/s1600/ClarkLongs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZswD-r0PM0U/UusNdX6ROYI/AAAAAAAADgk/U4eh9PAWE84/s1600/ClarkLongs.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Longs money shot from the<a href="http://www.eptrail.com/estes-park-sports/ci_25011564/clark-calan-double-up-winning-frost-giant-efforts"> Estes Trail Gazette</a></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LiXepK-bx7I/UusNgAoCFBI/AAAAAAAADgs/fkZhX61vf5E/s1600/Nick,+Joe,+Mike+Frost+Giant.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LiXepK-bx7I/UusNgAoCFBI/AAAAAAAADgs/fkZhX61vf5E/s1600/Nick,+Joe,+Mike+Frost+Giant.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Post the 10k. Podium in various orders for both races.</td></tr></tbody></table><b>Total: 79.5 miles (15,500')</b><br /><br />So, another base-building week of fairly easy, but hilly mileage in the books.<br /><br />I've been up in the 100s for weekly mileage at this time in years past. Not this year. I think I can time a better peak for Western States if I stay conservative on the mileage through the end of February; save the heavy lifting for March, April, May. I think I've been fitter in May than June the last couple of go arounds.<br /><br />Off to Costa Rica early tomorrow for a 10-day run vacation with the family. I'll be competing in the <a href="http://thecoastalchallenge.com/">Coastal Challenge</a> stage race, but should be done each day by 10:00 or so, which will mean lots of quality time on the beach with the kids. Six days of camping for three-year-old Stella should be interesting, but hopefully fun.<br /><br />This is the 10th running of the 6-day, 230km race, so the race organizers have been busy putting together a field of international runners that I'm looking forward to running with and competing against. Ian Corless has the <a href="http://iancorless.org/2014/01/27/the-coastal-challenge-costa-rica-celebrates-its-10th-anniversary-with-an-incredible-line-up/">details</a> on that. Having never run a stage race, I'm not really sure what to expect in terms of recovery and getting after it for six straight days, but I'm sure I'll figure it out. Fun times.<br /><br />http://irunmountains.blogspot.com/2014/01/week-ending-january-27.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nick)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241238297532213032.post-4858737878695254538Thu, 23 Jan 2014 16:07:00 +00002014-01-23T08:07:52.016-08:00Larimer County Peakstraining logWeek Ending January 19<b>Monday - 5 miles (1,500') jog/hike</b>. Horsetooth north. Drove down to the trailhead and attempted a summit of Horsetooth, but was reduced to a hike/jog, due to continued sickness and super icy conditions underfoot.<br /><br /><b>Tuesday - 4 miles jogging</b>. Went down to City Park for Jane's workout, but ended up jogging the intervals as I was still feeling crappy. Gave up once the snow started coming down.<br /><br /><b>Wednesday - 7.5 miles (1,800')</b>. Horsetooth north. The trails were still an icy mess, but I finally felt some strength returning to my body, although still hacking up a lung.<br /><br /><b>Thursday - AM: 10 miles (1,400') hill tempo</b>. Out a little quicker than normal, but still relatively easy, then back with Jason at tempo effort. Still a bit under the weather, the hills were tough, but I was able to at least get some kind of turnover going. Back in 31:25 - 7:36, 6:35, 6:42, 5:24, 5:06.<br /><b>PM: 7.5 miles (1,800') easy</b>. Gorgeously sunny out, so cruised up and got a nice easy Horsetooth summit.<br /><br /><b>Friday - AM: 7.5 miles (1,800') easy</b>. Another beautiful morning. Up the hill easy with Danny.<br /><b>PM: 7.5 miles (1,800') easy</b>. Jogged out another summit with the last rays of the day.<br /><br /><b>Sat - 12.5 miles (4,400') peaks</b>. Met up with Jason, Burch, Lewis, Dane and Sam for a loop on Greyrock. The trails were better than I thought they would be, but I kept it at one loop before heading down the canyon to Gateway Natural Area with Jason to bag ranked <a href="http://www.listsofjohn.com/PeakStats/Climbers.php?Id=6116">6,823'</a> to the east of Seaman Reservoir. For this one, we ran the mile to the private property line on the southeast corner of Seaman Reservoir. Once the property there came into sight, we hoofed steeply uphill following a ridge with good goat trails all the way to the summit. This one was fairly open, so it went quickly. Up and back in just a little over an hour. Nice views of Seaman Reservoir, Greyrock and other peaks up the canyon from the top.<br /><br /><b>Sun - 21.5 miles (4,000') steady</b>. Horsetooth/Redstone/Horsetooth yo-yo. 3:30. Started out with an easy jog up Horsetooth, then ran the road down to Redstone Canyon where I did a steady out and back to the three-mile marker, holding 7:10s up the hill and 6:45s down. After that I was back up the hill for another easy summit of Horsetooth&nbsp;(16)&nbsp;before heading for home. It took a while to force myself out the door for this one, as the motivation to run long just hasn't been there of late. This may have been my longest run since Wasatch, so I was pleased to feel decently strong the whole way around.<br /><br /><b>Total: 83 miles (18,500')</b><br /><br />The start of this week was pretty much a bust due to lingering flu-like symptoms. That started abating by the middle of the week, so I was able to finish things out on a strong note - finally getting a legitimate long run under my belt on Sunday. It's been a while.<br /><br />Looking forward to some Frost Giant action up in Estes Park on Sunday - always a fun time. This will be my first trip up the Big Thompson Canyon since the floods, so I'm interested to see how things look there. Hoping to also find some time to bag West Crosier on the way back, the last ranked peak in the Big Thompson area that I need. Speaking of which, I picked up Larimer County ranked peak number 150 on Saturday, which leaves just 105 more to get until I have the full collection! Probably be another couple of years.http://irunmountains.blogspot.com/2014/01/week-ending-january-19.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nick)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241238297532213032.post-5294520250389485905Thu, 16 Jan 2014 20:54:00 +00002014-01-16T13:00:55.263-08:00Larimer County Peakstraining logWeek Ending Jan 12<b>Mon - 7 miles (1,800') easy</b>. Nice easy jog up Horsetooth in well-packed snow on the main trail.<br /><br /><b>Tues - AM: 7.5 miles intervals</b>. Underfoot conditions on the cemetery loop were not good, so pretty much ran to effort and disregarded the watch this morning. Workout was mile, 800, 800, broken mile (800, 800), 1.5 mile lamppost fartlek.<br /><b>PM: 7.5 miles (1,800') easy Horsetooth summit</b>. Gorgeous day out with still great packed snow on the main trail.<br /><br /><b>Weds - Noon: 7.5 miles (1,800') easy</b>. Snuck a quick summit of Horsetooth before running the kids around for the afternoon.<br /><br /><b>Thurs - AM: 10 miles (1,400') hill tempo</b>. Out on Centennial with the Thursday morning group: Mary, Celeste, Ziggy, Scott, Becca, Lee, Marie and Katie. Nice easy run out as usual, then back at a controlled half marathon - 10 mile effort. Net uphill for the first three miles, then down for the last two: 7:32, 6:40, 6:35, 5:20, 5:15 = 31:22.<br /><b>Noon: 7 miles (1,800') uber easy</b> with Stefanovic who was back on break (and grossly out of shape) from his studies in Boston. Snuck a north gap ascent in as the rock was largely ice free. Beautiful view of blue fog sitting over the valley east of Boulder. Out towards the plains smoggy/dusty air was trapped low and looking nasty.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-teKXMU6HNT0/UtC7KuXNCJI/AAAAAAAADfs/0SsHtBL1eFo/s1600/DSC00021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-teKXMU6HNT0/UtC7KuXNCJI/AAAAAAAADfs/0SsHtBL1eFo/s1600/DSC00021.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div><br /><b>Fri - 7 miles (1,800') easy</b>. After watching the wind howl from my office all morning, I finally summoned the courage to get outside and tag the peak. Went up the main trail to stay out of the wind and then struggled mightily to stay on my feet once on top of the rock (9). Everything has iced over thanks to the sun and wind, so it was very careful going on the descent.<br /><br /><b>Sat - 8 miles (2,000') peakbaggery</b>. Woke with a burning throat and pretty much feeling like death, but decided to go ahead and meet Andy as planned for a morning tagging peaks up in the Red Feather Lakes area. We started from the Mount Margaret Trailhead with the winds whipping around pretty fiercely. There wasn't a huge amount of snow on the ground, but enough windblown accumulation to make things annoying. On the north side of the Red Feather Lakes Road, there are three ranked peaks semi-circling Windy Gap Lake, with two more on the south side of the road. Those were the goal peaks for the morning. First up was <a href="http://www.listsofjohn.com/PeakStats/Climbers.php?Id=4701">8,522'</a>, a nice rocky lump composed of the solid, weathered and uber-featured Sherman Granite familiar to the area north of Fort Collins and the high plains of Laramie. To get on the peak, we followed a National Forest fence north to its northeast corner, before heading east and up to get the fun, rocky summit. The land out here is nice and open, so the views from each of our morning's summits were stellar.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://listsofjohn.com/Images/2659.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://listsofjohn.com/Images/2659.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">8,522' on a different day. Photo: Joe Grim (from LoJ site)</td></tr></tbody></table>From the top of <a href="http://listsofjohn.com/PeakStats/Climbers.php?Id=4701">8,522'</a> we checked out the lay of the land for the next two peaks, noting a steep snowy descent to the saddle with <a href="http://listsofjohn.com/PeakStats/Climbers.php?Id=4873">8,356'</a>, which from our vantage point had a particularly&nbsp;aesthetic appeal to it, and then a good bit of cross country around Windy Gap Lake to get to <a href="http://listsofjohn.com/PeakStats/Climbers.php?Id=4842">8,388'</a>. The descent off 8,522' offered a little spice to our morning due to the steep, slabby and snow-covered nature of the terrain, but we picked and slipped our way through comfortably enough. By contrast, the southwest facing rock of 8,356' was dry, featured and fun to climb. It went quickly. The route off was again largely dry and we were soon making our way around the frozen Windy Gap Lake and heading up some pretty torturous terrain to get on 8,388'. Deadfall, heavy brush and the deepest snow of the day all made for a tedious - even if short - ascent. The summit rock had a nice hand crack to the top, which Andy geeked on for a while and then we headed southwest off the rock through heavy brush for Lone Pine Creek and the road. By the time we hit the asphalt, I was really beat down from the crud invading my body, so we called it there and ran the mile and half back up to the car into a nice steady headwind. Got home and was essentially dead to the world for the rest of the weekend.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vPC5jFoD2yI/Utg-Q-IeeXI/AAAAAAAADgA/K7LR8ubRNpE/s1600/DSC00020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vPC5jFoD2yI/Utg-Q-IeeXI/AAAAAAAADgA/K7LR8ubRNpE/s1600/DSC00020.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">8,356' from slopes of 8,522'.</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--ryuDafHPxM/Utg-V1HFckI/AAAAAAAADgM/Tbslvh9Q088/s1600/DSC00022.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--ryuDafHPxM/Utg-V1HFckI/AAAAAAAADgM/Tbslvh9Q088/s1600/DSC00022.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sick and wanting off the windy 8,522' summit. Windy Gap Lake to the right.&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table><b>Sun - 1.5 miles (400') hiking</b>. Woke up feeling absolutely terrible. Aches, temperature, cough, burning respiratory system. There was no hope of a run today, so I nixed plans for a longer one and tried to convince Alistair to hike with me. The winds were howling again, so it was a tough sell, but I did at least get him to the trailhead. We didn't get far though, both of us not really enjoying being out, so we headed back down and into town to watch grown men collide into each other at full speed while chasing after an oddly shaped ball. I used to do that for fun too. How odd.<br /><br /><b>Total: 63 miles (12,800')</b><br /><br />Picked up the nasty flu-like cold that's been doing the rounds this winter towards the end of this week and it put me on my back for much of the weekend and the first part of this week, but I'm finally feeling like I've kicked it to the curb some five days later. Good riddance, I haven't been sick like that in a while.<br /><br />The sickness put to bed any plans of a longer run this past weekend, something I need to start getting on top of these next couple of weeks if I want to have any chance of competing in Costa Rica at the Coastal Challenge early next month. I've been tooling around with runs in the 7-10 mile range forever, it seems, and basically avoiding longer efforts. Time to start getting a little more serious.<br /><br />Successful racing or not, we're really looking forward to the trip out to CR. Dana's mom is going to come out and join us, which should hopefully give Dana some good time to herself on the beach or in the jungle while I'm out running in the mornings. The 90+ degree temps are going to be a pretty rude slap in the face, but it'll be the same for most everyone I'm sure.http://irunmountains.blogspot.com/2014/01/week-ending-jan-12.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nick)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241238297532213032.post-4418878915422633970Wed, 08 Jan 2014 04:44:00 +00002014-01-07T20:51:33.731-08:00Larimer County Peakstraining logWeek Ending Jan 5<b>Mon - 10 miles (800') easy</b>. Ran out to Clowes Wood between Canterbury and Whitstable in more rain and heavy winds. Last run of the UK trip. Pretty fitting.<br /><br /><b>Tues - Off</b>. Travel day back home for New Year's Eve. In bed by 9:00.<br /><br />---------------------------------------------------------<br />January: 345.5 miles (51,900)<br />February: 309 (47,900')<br />March: 438.5 (68,800')<br />April: 362.5 (68,700')<br />May: 423.5 (84,400')<br />June: 412.5 (72,500')<br />July: 238 (42,300')<br />August: 238 (40,700')<br />September: 181 (47,600')<br />October: 163.5 (38,600')<br />November: 215 (60,900')<br />December: 283.5 (48,200)<br /><b><br /></b><b>Total: 3,610.5 (672,500')&nbsp;</b><br /><b>Ave: 301 (56,041')</b><br /><b><br /></b><br />2012 Total: 4,118.5 (714,600')<br />2011 Total: 4,264 (729,400')<br />2010 Total: 4,100 (655,850')<br />2009 Total: 3,451 (486,600')<br /><br />---------------------------------------------------------<br /><br /><b>Weds - AM: 10 miles (2,500') easy</b>. Made it up to the top of Horsetooth in the dark to catch the first sunrise of the year. Totally clouded over so didn't see much in the way of sun, but it felt great to be running uphill again. From Horsetooth, ran around Westridge for a Spring Creek descent. Tacked on the Grim Reaper hill in my neighborhood, which officially puts me in the 100-mile training season.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6CY0N-sxYyk/UscVrn0cgLI/AAAAAAAADew/EzL2XZ42BDc/s1600/DSC00028.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6CY0N-sxYyk/UscVrn0cgLI/AAAAAAAADew/EzL2XZ42BDc/s320/DSC00028.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A bit of color poked through to the south on a cold and windy start to the 2014 Horsetooth bagging season.</td></tr></tbody></table><b>PM: 7 miles (1,800') easy</b>. Got out and nabbed another Horsetooth just before sunset.<br /><br /><b>Thurs - AM: 10 miles (1,400') hill tempo</b>: Becca, Celeste, Ziggy and Lee for the Centennial out and back. Enjoyed a nice cruise out, then came back in a very comfortable 31:22. Keeping true to the goal of my Thursday morning tempo sessions this year, I kept this one where it was supposed to be and avoided the temptation to run as hard as possible. Ran the back five right on the digits from the last time I did this workout three weeks ago and it felt significantly more comfortable. Progress. 7:25, 6:30, 6:32, 5:36, 5:18.<br /><b>PM: 7 miles (1,700') steady</b>. First Towers session of the year. My quads felt sore from the morning workout and are clearly in need of serious seasoning before things start getting serious again. Ran with Sam&nbsp;Malmberg at an effort that was a little harder than I had planned. Legs were definitely tired, which made the 34 flat feel more like a 31.<br /><br /><b>Fri: 10 miles (2,500') easy</b> w/Tony S. Horsetooth summit, then Westridge, Secret, Towers, Spring Creek, Soderberg. Beautiful day: shorts and a T. Sore quads still from yesterday's road workout.<br /><br /><b>Sat: 13 miles (3,500') peakbaggery</b>. Headed north with Jason and Andy to the Eagle's Nest Open Space, a little used Larimer County natural area off Red Feather Lakes Road. There are a couple of ranked peaks out there,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.listsofjohn.com/PeakStats/Climbers.php?Id=6041">6,975'</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="http://www.listsofjohn.com/PeakStats/Climbers.php?Id=5708">Livermore Mountain</a>,&nbsp;that are accessible from Eagle's Nest, so the morning's mission was to bag those two and perhaps a couple of others further west if time allowed. Despite the six inches or so of snow that had fallen overnight in my neighborhood, west of Fort Collins, the conditions to the north were considerably better with the snow essentially tapering off by the time we reached the Red Feather turn-off. The four-mile run out to the base of 6,975' was of the rolling variety and involved a mix of Larimer, NFS and undetermined property on good double track. The steep, burned-out, north facing slope of 6,975' offered a fun, but slick 800' scramble to the socked-in top. We imagined the views south to the Poudre Canyon, before heading in a direction we thought appropriate to get on Livermore Mtn (7,504'). I had some cliff notes for directions and was glad to have them considering there was very limited visibility. The run/hike up Livermore was very straightforward as it turned out. From the top, we followed the gentle northeast ridge back down to the double track at the base of 6,975' and then enjoyed a nice run back to the trailhead. Total mileage on this one was approximately 12.5 with 3,000 feet of vertical gain. It would have been nice to check this area out with better visibility, so I might have to return one of these days to climb the aesthetic but unranked Eagle's Nest Rock - which we passed up in favor of heading west to take in ranked&nbsp;<a href="http://www.listsofjohn.com/PeakStats/Climbers.php?Id=6041">Manhead Mountain</a>&nbsp;(7,980')&nbsp;before time was up on the morning.<br /><br />For Manhead, we entered the Glacier View neighborhood via 'Gate 10' and took that all the way south to the base of the rock, which actually lies on a small parcel of National Forest land, despite being surrounded by private property. Out here, there had been a good bit of snow which made the short climb up Manhead a little more interesting. This one was only 400 feet or so of ascent, but required a climbing move or two on the route Andy charted up a couple of chimneys. Again we had to imagine the views from the top before descending on slick slabby rock back to the car. Fun morning.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.listsofjohn.com/Images/2655.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.listsofjohn.com/Images/2655.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Manhead from the north on a different day. Photo: Joe Grim</td></tr></tbody></table><b>Sun - AM: 1 mile easy&nbsp;</b>setting up the Edora Park 8k course. Frigid again.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FPZvkmG5kP8/UszKYYxiLvI/AAAAAAAADfA/6X5UUYxwiBU/s1600/FCRC_Edora.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FPZvkmG5kP8/UszKYYxiLvI/AAAAAAAADfA/6X5UUYxwiBU/s1600/FCRC_Edora.jpeg" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the 28 who showed up for a second single digit T&amp;H in a row.&nbsp;&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DmCkyuMJxMM/UszKbONbd9I/AAAAAAAADfI/XiIh4r956Y0/s1600/FCRC_Cold_Again.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DmCkyuMJxMM/UszKbONbd9I/AAAAAAAADfI/XiIh4r956Y0/s1600/FCRC_Cold_Again.jpeg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trying to stay warm waiting for runners to finish. Not quite an NFL sideline heater, but that thing pumps out some warmth.&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table><b>PM: 7.5 miles (1,800') easy</b>. Grabbed a nice snowy Horsetooth summit (4) with Danny B on a cold but sunny early afternoon. There had been lots of traffic before us in the day and a half since the most recent snowfall, so there was a decently packed track to follow all the way to the summit. Crisp and clear from the top and good to see a couple of familiar faces on the way back down.<br /><br /><b>Total: 75.5 miles (16,000')</b><br /><b><br /></b>Good week on balance. Flicked the switch proper January 1 and now consider myself to be back in full-on training mode. I feel decently rested from the summer and I'm looking forward to another fun year out and about in the hills.<br /><br />Ended up with 152 Horsetooth summits on the year, in addition to a now 146 other Larimer County ranked peaks, which leaves me with just 109 left to get. Of course, I've bagged most of the low-hanging fruit within easy striking distance of home, so the remainder may take a little longer to snag. <br /><br />The Horsetooth haul was good, but not as good <a href="http://brotherpine.blogspot.com/">The Erskine</a> who tagged the top 164 times in 2013. He wins a six pack from yours truly. That will not be repeated in 2014.<br /><br />Quad Rock registrations are off to a strong start and it's looking like we'll fill sometime in February. We have an increased cap this year and will register 400 runners, but such is the demand these days for long outings on the trails that we'll still likely fill at record pace.<br /><br />What else? Hmm, not a great deal really. Mileage this year was down on years past, due in most part to running the Grand Slam. Yes, you race lots of miles, but you also end up spending tons of time on your tush trying to recover. July to November this year were all under 250 miles, which I consider to be low mileage months. And so it goes. Won't do that again anytime soon.http://irunmountains.blogspot.com/2014/01/week-ending-jan-5.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nick)3